Saquon Barkley was pretty certain Thursday’s visit to Lancaster was his first.
Just to be sure, he looked for, and received, confirmation from someone who was accompanying him.
There will be hesitation the next time he thinks of the Red Rose City.
It apparently made a huge impression on the Philadelphia Eagles running back during his appearance as the featured guest at the United Disabilities Services Foundation Gala at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.
“When I have a gala, some of you are all getting an invite,” the former Penn State star said as he walked off the stage following his roughly 30-minute fireside chat with Eagles insider Dave Spadaro that was part celebration, part inspiration and part reflection on his and the Birds’ Super Bowl championship season.
His night — he had to leave for another event in Philadelphia — began with a VIP meet-and-greet, left fan and Lancaster city resident Amber Remash in tears after he signed her Kelly green No. 26 jersey and ended with a live auction. Barkley signed a football, a helmet and a jersey, and each subsequently went to the highest bidder.
Sam Lombardo, of Lititz, won the ball for $6,000 and the helmet for $25,000, before the jersey went for $14,000.
Barkley stood on the stage, smiling — something he did often and easily Thursday — and seemingly in disbelief over the bidding.
But before he was sent off with a standing ovation and an E-A-G-L-E-S chant that he videoed with his phone — the second of the night by the nearly 750 in attendance, along with one “We Are … Penn State” chant — he provided plenty of insight and perspective.
He put up a season for the ages in 2024 after signing as a free agent with the Eagles following six seasons with the New York Giants.
A quick recap: Barkley was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a franchise-record 2,005 yards, just 101 short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season league record.
He ran for an NFL record 2,504 yards in the regular season and playoffs, breaking the mark set by Terrell Davis (2,476) in 1998 with Denver.
He scored 15 touchdowns, including seven on runs of at least 60 yards.
And he became a leader for the Birds.
In the waning moments of the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, quarterback Jalen Hurts told Barkley that he didn’t understand the difference he made on the team.
‘It came naturally’
“For me, it came naturally,” Barkley said Thursday of his ability to fit in with a new team, “because a lot of guys like to compete and a lot of guys like to play golf. I’m not great at golf, but I’m good at competing. And I just came from the mindset of ‘We have all these leaders and all these great players, Lane (Johnson) and AJ (Brown), working out. What can I bring to the team?’
“The best thing that I do is compete. So when you compete and show people that I might have the accolades or have this name, but I’m willing to put the work in, you kind of just gain that respect naturally.”
There were so many highlights for Barkley — he ticked off the NFC Championship Game vs. Washington and the Super Bowl — but the one thing he said stood out, and ultimately led to the team’s success, was a meeting held during the bye week.
“We were 2-2; 2-2 in Philadelphia is not acceptable,” he said. “I’ve learned that. But we had a moment during the bye week where we kind of all came together as a team, stated in our minds that we’re super-talented, that we’re too good to lose games.
“We just got embarrassed by the Buccaneers (in a 33-16 loss on Sept. 29), and it was a cool moment, because all of us came together as a group, as a whole, and we just ripped off 10 straight (wins). That was probably the most memorable thing — there was a lot of plays — but just how we came together as a group, as a team. And without that moment that wasn’t on TV, we wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl.”
To a lot of fans the highlight, at least in the regular season, was Barkley’s reverse leap in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in November, a play he said he really didn’t get to enjoy.
“I was hurting, actually,” Barkley said. “When I landed, one big defensive tackle took a good shot at me and my back kind of locked up. So, I didn’t in the moment get to realize what happened.”
Barkley, 28, also used Thursday’s platform to talk about using his physical gifts to benefit others, in one answer talking about when he’s done with football in a few years.
For the record, he received a two-year contract extension in March that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. That deal, which runs through the 2028 season, is worth $41.2 million with $36 million guaranteed.
“God has blessed me with unbelievable talent,” Barkley said. “Football’s cool, but when it’s all said and done, and God willing I’ll be 32, 33 years old, I still have the rest of my life, I want to be known as someone who made an impact and saved lives.
“I realize it may only be one, might only be 10, it might be thousands, but when I’m on my deathbed I want to be able to say I used God’s gift, my talent, to help people.”
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