PHILADELPHIA — What Saquon Barkley did last year was special, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. But is that rare feat repeatable?
History would suggest no. But don’t put anything past the Philadelphia Eagles star.
Barkley exceeded even the highest of expectations in his first year with the Eagles. The former Penn State star recorded 2,005 rushing yards in 16 games. Barkley was 99 yards away from overtaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season all-time record before sitting out of the season finale against his former team, the New York Giants. Barkley continued his stellar play in the postseason, amassing 499 yards on the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.
After their win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Barkley became the NFL’s single-season record-holder with 2,504 rushing yards between the regular season and postseason. He also finished with 2,857 scrimmage yards, the most ever in an NFL season, including postseason.
Everything we saw last year from Barkley would suggest he’s due for a monster second season in Philadelphia. But can he rush for 2,000 yards again? Can he make even more history?
“It’s hard to do it in general,” Barkley said Wednesday. “You know, there’s only nine of us who have ever done it. … It’s hard to do it twice because it’s hard to do it the first time.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) makes Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) miss on his first carry of an NFL Wildcard playoff game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Philadelphia. Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Barkley said it’s “a crazy thing” to be mentioned with the other players who have surpassed 2,000 rushing yards in a season. O.J. Simpson was the first to do it in 1973. Dickerson’s record-setting season followed in 1984. Barry Sanders and Terrell Davis accomplished the feat in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Barkley joined four other backs — Jamal Lewis, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry — to have done it in the last quarter-century.
None of the previous eight 2,000-yard rushers came close to that feat again in their following season. Johnson was the closest, and his 1,364 yards in 2010 fell way short.
Out of the players who have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season, only Henry sniffed that figure again. The physically imposing back, after racking up 2,027 rushing yards for the Tennessee Titans in 2020, totaled 1,921 yards for the Baltimore Ravens last season. Close, but no cigar.
Still, the fact that Henry came within a few big runs of hitting 2,000 yards means there’s hope for Barkley. The situation he finds himself in Philadelphia also makes it possible.
Barkley is still the focal point of the Eagles’ offense. Arguably the best offensive line in the NFL returns four of five starters. And Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are all back, giving Philadelphia a potent passing attack for defenses to consider stopping. We all saw what happened to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl when they sold out to stop No. 26.
There are also reasons to hit the pause button. When he was with the Giants, he missed time due to injury. And more pertinently, Barkley recorded a career-high 436 rushing attempts last year, including the postseason. That’s a lot for a 28-year-old running back.
Barkley was asked if he spoke to Henry about how to manage your body after a 2,000-yard season. He did not. But Barkley is confident in himself and those around him.
“I’ve got a great team here, whether it’s my team or within the organization or who I talk to outside this building,” Barkley said. “I’ll follow the game plan they mapped out for me this offseason and continue to follow that throughout the season.”
Will all of that preparation lead to another 2,000-yard season? Barkley isn’t sure. He insists that replicating the rare feat in 2025 isn’t even on his mind.
“For me, 2,000 yards is not the goal. It’s winning Super Bowls and going out there and performing at a high level,” Barkley said. “… I didn’t come in with the mindset last year to rush for 2,000 yards. It just kind of happened. So stay in the moment, take care of the little things, stay consistent with my process. If it’s in the cards again, it is. If it’s not, it’s not.”
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