PHILADELPHIA — The NFL's top player in 2025 is none other than Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley.
After a two-month-long process of the NFL releasing its list of the top 100 players for 2025, the league released the final 10.
And it was No. 26 who came out on top at No. 1.
Additionally, the 28-year-old Penn State grad jumped dozens of spots up in the rankings from 2024, when he was with the New York Giants.
In 2024, Barkley was ranked 86th.
Here's what NFL.com writer Michael Baca said about Barkley:
Following a tremendous debut season with the Eagles, one that enrolled him in the 2,000-yard rushing club, earned him the AP 2024 Offensive Player of the Year and ended in Super Bowl glory, Barkley jumps 85 spots to become the No. 1-ranked player in the Top 100. He's just the second running back to hold the title in the Top 100's 15-year history (Adrian Peterson, 2013). Barkley's run toward 2K featured 100-plus yard performances in 11 of 16 games (five games over 150 yards), a league-high seven 40-plus yard scampers and perhaps one of the best highlights when reverse leap-frogging over a defender -- a moment that will be forever immortalized on the cover of NFL Madden 26. Had he not sat out Week 18, there was a good chance he'd break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Barkley's vision, elusiveness and speed was a skill set that flourished behind the Eagles' offensive line, which created 829 yards for Barkley to gain before contact. The 28-year-old continued that dominance during Philadelphia's playoff run with 119-, 205- and 118-yard performances on the road toward Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles' signing of Barkley might go down as one of the best free-agent decisions in NFL history, and the club wasted no time in making the All-Pro the first RB to earn $20 million-plus per year after one season.
Other Eagles players who made the list are:
No. 19 — Jalen Hurts
No. 23 — Lane Johnson
No. 26 — Zack Baun
No. 29 — A.J. Brown
No. 43 — Jalen Carter
No. 49 — Quinyon Mitchell
No. 60 — Cooper DeJean
No. 69 — Jordan Mailata
The rankings were based on NFL player votes.