Saquon Barkley shocked the football world this week when he teased about a surprise retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles in the next few years.
The reigning 2,000-yard rusher and Offensive Player of the Year is entering his prime. And so …
That he even talked about retirement was shocking, leaving Eagles fans scared for the future.
If there is a player who knows all about surprise retirements, it is the Hall-of-Famer Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions.
The all-time All-Pro running back retired after just 10 seasons and over 15,000 rushing yards. He won an MVP in 1997 and was a six-time First-Team All-Pro with two Offensive Player of the Year awards.
The usually quiet Sanders isn't thrilled that Barkley discussed retirement this week. In fact, the Hall-of-Famer offered some free advice for Philly's star.
"I would say, maybe after the Lions win a Super Bowl, and I feel like the Eagles have a chance to maybe win another one," Sanders told CBS Sports when asked what type of advice he would give to Barkley in light of his recent retirement comments. "So, you should stick around for a little while. As a fan, I'm enjoying watching him play. I still see him as still being very young.
"He was written off by the Giants, and to see the kind of year he had last year, I know he still has a lot of great years left in him."
Barkley - who happens to count Sanders as an idol - is only 28. While that may be considered old for the running back position nowadays, the Eagles (like Sanders) believe that his best football is ahead of him.
In fairness to Barkley, he did walk back those comments during minicamp this week.
He isn't thinking about retirement as much as he suggested - which is a relief to Philly and to Barry.