Saquon Barkley had already established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL as he entered free agency ahead of the 2024 season.
Despite that, the former Penn State star did not draw interest from a pair of NFC East teams.
Barkley spent his first six seasons in the NFL with the New York Giants, putting up impressive numbers during that time. Still, the Philadelphia Eagles were the only NFC East team to offer him a contract, despite the Cowboys and Commanders getting an up-close look at what he is capable of.
“I never heard a word from the Commanders or Dallas,” Saquon Barkley said at a charity softball game this summer. “That’s why it’s BTA (belt to [expletive]) when I see them.”
Barkley certainly looked like a running back that every team in the NFL should have gone after with the way he played during the 2024 season, rushing for a career high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns, while averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
In three games against the Commanders, including the playoffs, Barkley had 70 carries for 414 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 138 rushing yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry.
In two games against the Cowboys, Barkley carried the ball 45 times for 233 yards (5.2 yards per carry, 116.5 yards per game). He was also 4-1 against those two teams.
While Barkley doesn’t seem thrilled about being ignored by the Cowboys and Commanders, in the end, everything worked out just fine for him. He led the Eagles to a win in the Super Bowl this past February in his first season in Philadelphia.
Barkley also led the NFL in rushing and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
“I’m from Pennsylvania, and like, I played against them, so it made sense. And we got a ring, so it worked out,” he said.
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