NEW ORLEANS – Saquon Barkley is steadfast on his opinion about who the top running back in NFL history is.
“I think Barry Sanders is the best running back, best player to ever touch a football of all time,” Barkley said.
Barkley has a chance to achieve a few notable milestones that the Detroit Lions Hall of Fame running back never accomplished: win a Super Bowl and become the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing leader, including the playoffs.
Barkley, who’s produced 2,447 rushing yards, is just 30 yards shy from eclipsing Denver Broncos Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ 2,476-yard, single-season rushing record (including playoffs) that Davis set in 1998.
It’s a record that many around NFL circles believe is more prestigious than the NFL regular season rushing record.
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“It’s more impactful – if you can win a Super Bowl, especially win a Super Bowl and break the record at the same time,” former NFL running back Jonathan Stewart, who was teammates with Barkley on the New York Giants in 2018, told USA TODAY Sports. “If he’s able to break the record and win a Super Bowl, that’s like the best of both of both worlds.”
The irony is, Barkley had an opportunity to break Los Angeles Rams Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s 1984 regular season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Barkley was 101 yards from passing Dickerson’s mark, but the Eagles elected not to play Barkley and other key players in Week 18.
Dickerson’s record-setting year helped the Rams get to the playoffs, but Los Angeles lost in the wild-card round. Davis’ all-encompassing rushing record propelled the Broncos to a Super Bowl 33 win.
Like Davis, Barkley’s historic season on the ground can be the catalyst to the Philadelphia Eagles winning a Super Bowl.
“If you don’t have him, and if we don’t have the plays that he’s made this year, I don’t know if we’re here,” Eagles running back coach Jemal Singleton told USA TODAY Sports. “And I’m OK saying that, because of the type of year and the type of young man he is. He’s been unbelievable. And not only on the field, his off-the-field presence has been unbelievable in the locker room (and) people in the building. You won’t find a person that doesn’t speak highly of Saquon Barkley. That’s how great he is.”
Barkley’s been everything the Eagles have hoped since the team signed him during the 2024 free agency period. The seventh-year running back rushed for a Eagles franchise record and NFL-high 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. His 442 yards and five rushing touchdowns in the playoffs are both postseason highs. He has seven 60-plus yard touchdowns, including the playoffs, this year, which is the most in NFL history.
He’s a candidate for both NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
“Saquon is special. He’s a humble enough person that I can tell him that,” Singleton said. “I think he’s one of those guys that you have now added a blend of size, you’ve added a blend of speed, but you’ve also added a blend of lateral mobility. It’s very rare that a back has all of that. Usually it’s, ‘Hey, he’s a home run hitter with straight line speed, but maybe his lateral mobility is not as good,’ or, ‘Hey, he’s strong and can run through some tackles, but his top end speeds like that.’ Saquon has all of them.”
In poetic fashion, Super Bowl 59 just so happens to fall on Barkley’s 28th birthday. Davis’ all-time rushing record would be a nice birthday present, but the ultimate prize Barkley really desires is a Super Bowl victory.
“I think it’s cool to even be mentioned with a running back like him, knowing how successful he was and the career that he had,” Barkley said of Davis’ record.
“All the records and stuff are cool. The only thing that really matters is winning the Super Bowl.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.