Eagles’ Saquon Barkley on Winning Super Bowl Title: It’s Better in Person Than Madden

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says winning Super Bowl LIX on his 28th birthday lived up to his childhood dreams.

“It’s better in person than in Madden, I’ll tell you that, playing as a kid,” Barkley said about lifting the Lombardi Trophy. “It’s something that you dream of.

“I’m just happy to be able to hold it, give it a kiss, and be world champions.”

Barkley lifted his first career Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans after leading the Eagles’ offense in both carries (25) and receptions (six) for 97 total yards of offense on Sunday night.

His efforts helped the Eagles claim a 40-22 win over the two-time defending champions.

Barkley recorded the best season of his career as part of Kellen Moore’s offense. He is now the first player in NFL history to record more than 2,500 yards in a single season, including playoffs.

The star running back said that record “wouldn’t mean anything” to him if it hadn’t come alongside a championship.”

“All of the numbers and stats are cool, but the best thing is being able to hold that Lombardi Trophy,” Barkley said, per NFL.com’s Grant Gordon.

Barkley continued, per Grant: “To be honest, the most important thing was winning the Super Bowl. Because if we didn’t win today, all those accolades and all those yards wouldn’t mean anything. So, it’s cool.

“I don’t want to downplay it because I couldn’t do it without the boys up front, and I know how much that means to them. For me, thankful, couldn’t do it without God, but I like that Lombardi Trophy a little bit more.”

The New York Giants chose not to use a $12.1 million franchise tag to keep Barkley last offseason.

Barkley ended up making more than $4.6 million over that amount with the incentives built into his Eagles contract. That price that has been more than worth it for Philadelphia to acquire the driving force of their Super Bowl-winning offense.