John Mara won’t have gotten a wink of shut-eye on Sunday night.
“I'm going to have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia,” the New York Giants president was captured telling general manager Joe Schoen in an episode of HBO’s behind-the-scenes series Hard Knocks during the off-season.
At the time, Saquon Barkley – the star running back who was selected by the Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft – was set to enter free agency. New York weren’t prepared to pay him what he felt he was worth.
The Eagles were. And as he simultaneously ploughed through the heavy Philadelphia snow and the Los Angeles Rams’ defense to spearhead a 28-22 victory to take his team within one win of the Super Bowl, he proved himself to be worth every penny.
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Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders - Sunday, January 26, 3pm ET / 8pm GMT
Philadelphia’s offense struggled against LA, as Lincoln Financial Field became a slippery white sheet. Quarterback Jalen Hurts mustered just 128 passing yards. And their league-best offensive line was uncharacteristically porous in pass protection, giving up seven sacks to a rampant Rams defensive front.
But Barkley was a beacon within the blizzard. He ran for 205 yards – the fifth highest rushing return in playoff history – and two touchdowns.
In the first quarter, the former Giant blasted through the Rams resistance to score a 63-yard touchdown, putting the Eagles up 13-6.
And in the fourth, he broke a spectacular 78-yard blast to effectively book Philadelphia’s place in the NFC Championship game this coming weekend.
The Rams rallied and – thanks in part to kicker Jake Elliot failing to convert the extra point try after Barkley’s second score – gave the Eagles a scare late on. But Nick Sirianni’s side survived and, aside from the conditions, Barkley’s brilliance was the key talking point post-game.
And this performance was no outlier. Barkley has been causing restless nights for Mara and the Eagles’ opponents all season – not least the Rams, against whom he rushed for 255 yards and two scores when they met in the regular season in late November.
The 27-year-old became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single campaign. He accumulated 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns, in addition to another 278 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.
With one regular season game left to play, Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2,105 rushing yards in the 1984 season was in reach. And, fittingly, the Giants were the Eagles’ Week 18 opponents. He’d run for 187 yards and a touchdown on his first trip back to the Meadowlands in September, so clocking another 100 against the soon-to-be 3-14 team would be easy money.
But Barkley spared his old team of further embarrassment and elected to rest up for the postseason, forgoing a shot at history.
His performances throughout the season have made Barkley an MVP contender. And although he will lose out to either Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen in the voting for the NFL’s most prestigious individual accolade, he has almost single handedly – “almost” because Derrick Henry, with 1,921 yards for the Baltimore Ravens, has played a part, too – restored the reputation of running backs around the league.
In 2023, a handful of the NFL’s top running backs got together on a zoom call to discuss how their position had become devalued, and to brainstorm ways of correcting the slide. Over the previous 10 years, the league’s salary cap had increased by 82.8 per cent. Yet the average top five salaries paid to running backs over the same period rose by only 22.8 per cent.
This league-wide downturn in stock among running backs is why the Giants baulked at Barkley’s demands. The salary he is now paid by the Eagles – around $11 million per year – is the equivalent of a mid-tier wide receiver, and less than a third of what top wide-out Justin Jefferson earns with the Minnesota Vikings, for example.
While no running back is likely to earn close to Jefferson’s $35 million per year any time soon, Barkley’s incredible season with the Eagles will ensure that many of his positional brethren will be more handsomely rewarded going forward.
“Atmosphere was crazy, it was insane,” Barkley said in a postgame media session after Philadelphia’s victory over the Rams. “I’ve got a smile on my face thinking about it. This is what you dream about. This is why I came to Philly. I wanted to be part of games like this, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
On the Giants, he’d have been a mere bright spark on a team mired in the doldrums. In Philadelphia, he’s the driving force behind a Super Bowl contender. Ahead of their NFC Championship showdown with the Washington Commanders, Eagles fans can rest happily, knowing Saquon is on their side.
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