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The Philadelphia Eagles were reeling from the sting of their 2023 collapse when they lured Saquon Barkley away from the New York Giants.
The running back has proved to be the piece this offense was missing last year and could eventually be the catalyst for the team’s first Super Bowl title since its incredible 2017 run.
While few doubted Barkley’s abilities, it wasn’t a total shock that Big Blue allowed him to walk six seasons after selecting him No. 4 overall in the 2018 draft.
The 27-year-old started his career red-hot, earning Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors after eclipsing 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scoring 15 touchdowns in his professional debut. He took a slight step back in Year 2 but was still performing like one of the NFL’s top weapons at his position. Things took a turn for the worse in 2020, though, as a torn ACL limited him to just two games that year and greatly hindered his abilities upon his return during a dismal 2021 season.
Barkley finally bounced back with his second Pro Bowl campaign in 2022, helping guide the G-Men to their first playoff victory since the 2011 season. Despite his strong efforts that year—he tallied 1,650 yards from scrimmage and 10 scores on 352 touches—New York’s brass opted to franchise-tag him while allocating a huge chunk of cap space to an ill-fated four-year, $160 million extension for quarterback Daniel Jones.
While Barkley wasn’t happy about the decision, he eventually signed a one-year deal to remain with the Giants for 2023. New York suffered through a miserable season that saw Jones play abysmally before going down with an ACL tear, but the back still managed to finish with a respectable 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns on 288 touches.
The Penn State product finally got his chance to escape the Big Apple this past spring as an unrestricted free agent. During HBO’s Hard Knocks finale, Giants general manager Joe Schoen infamously told the running back to go test the market rather than offering him a much-deserved extension.
The Eagles capitalized on his availability by offering a three-year, $37.75 million contract, one he happily accepted and has led to a resurgence as one of the NFL’s premier players at his position.
That move turned out to be not only the steal of the offseason but also one of the best free-agent signings in recent NFL history. Barkley has been downright dominant during his first 11 games in Eagles green, collecting a whopping 1,392 yards and 10 touchdowns on 223 totes and adding another 257 yards and two scores on 27 catches.
With Philly running away with the NFC East at 9-2—behind only the Detroit Lions in the conference—and Barkley leading the league by a wide margin in rushing yards, there’s now even a realistic chance the running back ends up being crowned league MVP.
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