CBS Sports: Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley made a shocking announcement prior to Super Bowl.
Barkley is just 30 yards away from surpassing Terrell Davis’ 1998 Denver Broncos season running record, which also includes postseason runs.
The framed pictures are displayed over the sofa in the lounge area at the far end of the Philadelphia Eagles’ locker room. Saquon Barkley is shown in the action image from a game versus the Commanders on the left. “THE CHOSEN ONE” is written on a piece of masking tape underneath the frame. Another Barkley photo from a game versus the Rams is on the right, with the words “OUR SAVIOR” written on the tape underneath it.
In part as a joke, but mainly as a tribute to the best running back season in Eagles history, an offensive lineman built the shrine.
Perhaps, at least arguably, in NFL history.
Any sports talk radio show may dispute which individual season was the best. Barkley’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl can only help his credentials. Starting with his 2,005 yards of rushing and his seven (postseason included) touchdown rushes of 60 yards or more, the figures are already astounding. Only two NFL players in history have scored five touchdowns and rushed for at least 400 yards in a single postseason.
The other one? Terrell Davis.
Barkley is just 30 yards away from surpassing the NFL season running record established by Davis with the Denver Broncos in 1998, which includes the postseason. Barkley had 2,447 yards, including 442 in the playoffs; Davis led the Broncos to the Super Bowl with 2,476 yards.
“Winning a Super Bowl is the only thing that makes it special,” Barkley stated.
After the Eagles’ 38-35 setback to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs two years ago, Barkley may make the difference this season. On the flight home from Arizona, the location of that Super Bowl, where the former New York Giants great spent several days doing different media rounds promoting this and that but definitely not participating, Barkley caught a little of that game.
Barkley remarked, “Radio row and all that stuff is fun.” “This is a little bit better to me.”
In fact, Barkley only made the playoffs once in his six seasons in New York, when he and the Giants were defeated by the Eagles in the NFC divisional round. Instead of even considering supporting Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and the other infamous NFC East opponents, Barkley may have been more inclined to don a Travis Kelce shirt on the plane journey home.
Barkley remarked, “I was obviously rooting against them.” “I didn’t have any desire for them to prevail.”
After his famous “Hard Knocks” separation with the Giants, Barkley is an MVP contender in his first season with the Eagles two years later.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen informed Barkley in the pivotal moment that the team will neither extend an offer to him nor place the franchise tag on the No. 2 selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Instead, the Giants allowed Barkley to test the free-agent market, which led to his signing the richest running back contract in team history with the Eagles on a three-year contract worth $26 million guaranteed.
The Giants ended 3-14 without Barkley.
