After having the best year of his career, one of the best seasons of any running back in NFL history, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s best days still could be ahead of him if he chooses to continue playing.
Barkley could put together a few more dominant seasons to become a Hall of Fame lock — he might have already secured his spot in “Football Heaven” with his performance last season — and further strengthen his NFL legacy if he’s able to lead the Eagles to another Super Bowl victory.
The Eagles made Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history this offseason, giving him a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that runs through the 2028 season.
During the final year of his deal, he’ll be 31 years old, potentially nearing retirement. Barkley might even stop playing football before 2028, saying on Wednesday that he could shock the NFL by retiring much sooner.
“I’ll probably be one of those guys that it would be out of nowhere,” Barkley said on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long, a former Eagles defensive end. “Like, I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over.’ I don’t think I will ever lose that passion. The competitive nature is always going to be there. Probably my favorite player of all time is (Lions running back) Barry Sanders. So probably similar to that one day. Like it will be out of nowhere. I’ll probably be balling and just be like, ‘Yeah, call it quits.’”
Last season, Barkley said he wants to become one of the all-time greats, modeling his game after Sanders.
The Lions’ Hall of Fame running back, who is considered the best player at his position in NFL history, surprised everybody when he retired in 1999 when he was 31 years old. At that time, he was still one of the league’s top rushers, closing in on the all-time rushing record.
NFL running backs have the shortest shelf life of any position, quickly falling off a cliff once they lose step. Maybe Barkley will walk away before that happens — like Sanders did. Now, you have to wonder how soon it will happen.
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