Running back Saquon Barkley has experienced his share of ups and downs through his first six seasons in the NFL. But as he enters his first year with the Eagles, Barkley is ready to begin a new phase of his career where he’ll have a chance to excel with the talent around him.
Barkley, 27, said in a recent interview with EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he’s worked a lot on his mindset, turning negatives into positives. Between injuries and his contract situation, Barkley said several instances of adversity have helped shape him.
But he also isn’t pretending he doesn’t hear those who might doubt him.
“Anyone that tells you that you don’t get motivation from naysayers is lying,” Barkley told Smith. “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.”
To that end, Barkley feels like his routine has put him in a position to dismiss questions about his longevity.
“That’s [BS],” Barkley said. “Marcus Allen played until he was 36, 37 years old. 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? I call [BS].”
“When it’s over for me, it’s over for me. But I feel like if I continue to put the right stuff in my body and do the right things, there will be a day when I’m 32 or 33 and I want to hang it up, and I’m going to do it just because.”
In his 74 career games, Barkley has rushed for 5,211 yards with 35 touchdowns and caught 288 passes for 2,100 yards with 16 TDs. He finished the 2023 season with 962 yards rushing with six touchdowns along with 41 catches for 280 yards with four TDs.