Running back Saquon Barkley is ready to prove any and all doubters wrong after he left the New York Giants to sign with the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
“Anyone that tells you that you don’t get motivation from naysayers is lying,” Barkley recently told EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You see everything. Even if you block it out, you make stuff up in your head. The motivation comes from me wanting to be great, having a purpose, being passionate about the game and wanting to win championships and become a Hall of Fame player. Right now in my career, I’m far from that. But I feel like if I finish my second (half of) my career strong, I’m going to be able to put my name in that book.”
The Giants made Barkley the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods while featuring for New York through last season. However, the club seemingly showed how it valued the ball-carrier when it retained his rights for 2023 via what essentially became an altered one-year franchise tag and then let him reach free agency this past March.
Barkley ultimately signed a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to join the Eagles. Some have scoffed at a team handing that kind of contract to a running back who turns 28-years-old in February 2025, but he suggested while speaking with Smith that he still has plenty left in the tank.
“Marcus Allen played until he was 36, 37-years-old,” Barkley explained. “Some of the greats that I admire and I look up and study, they played well into their 30s. Barry (Sanders) left at 29, 30 and he left in his prime. It’s what you put in, what you put in is what you get out. That’s any position. There’s this weird thing with running backs right now. Is it a difficult position to play? Yes. Do you take wear and tear? Yes. But who are you or anyone else to tell me how long I can play the game?”
At least one unnamed NFL offensive coach believes Barkley is “probably not as fast as he used to be.” He can offer a response to such takes beginning with Philadelphia’s regular-season opener versus the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6.