Saquon Barkley and family are not happy that the Eagles gave him a chance to break the NFL rushing record
Saquon Barkley spoke about his team's decision to rest him in the final game of the season, which caused him to miss out on a chance to break the NFL's single-season rushing record.
The Philadelphia Eagles star told reporters Wednesday that he is “down” with coach Nick Sirianni's decision to hold him out of Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Barkley said he talked to Siranni about the decision after last Sunday's win against the Dallas Cowboys, and he wasn't too keen at the time, but he was more invested in breaking the record after sleeping on it.
Now, he won't get that chance and he's not sure if he'll get it again.
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Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs past a Washington Commanders defender on his way to a 39-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. (Photos by Eric Hartline-Imagn)
“He asked me if I wanted to play and if I wanted to go, I said on Sunday, maybe I didn't care about it. When I slept on it, it was like, it's an opportunity to put my name on it. In the history of football, I might not get another opportunity like this. So I'm down, but in the end I don't care if we're putting the team at risk,” said Barkley.
Barkley said he also told his family about the situation, they want him to break the record more than him.
“I told my family, obviously. My family probably wanted it a little more than I did,” Barkley said.
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Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs off the field after a win over the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. (Photos by Eric Hartline-Imagn)
Still, Barkley accepts the decision and has invested heavily in being available to help his team win in the playoffs.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games and winning in the playoffs, and I have a big goal in mind,” Barkley said.
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Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles watches before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Barkley, who has 2,005 rushing yards this year, is 100 shy of Eric Dickerson's record for most rushing yards in a single season. Dickerson broke the record with 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
In 1984, Dickerson topped 100 yards rushing 12 times to break OJ Simpson's 1973 record with Buffalo of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season. Dickerson needed 379 carries to set the record, while Barkley had a career-best 345 this season.
Barkley signed a three-year contract with the Eagles for $26 million guaranteed and $37.75 million total, making him the highest-paid running back in franchise history.
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