Saquon Barkley Gives Nuanced Response to Eagles Not Chasing Rushing Record

Saquon Barkley had a measured response Wednesday after Nick Sirianni revealed that he would be rested in Week 18, rather than being given the opportunity to break the single-season rushing record.

Barkley revealed that Sirianni did ask him for his input before deciding how to proceed with the final game of the regular season, a Week 18 matchup with the New York Giants that's meaningless for an Eagles team locked into the No. 2 seed. 

"I mean, he asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it," Barkley said, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of SportsRadio 94 WIP. 

"I said on Sunday, you know, I probably didn't care too much for it. When I slept on it, it was like, it was an opportunity to implant my name in football history. I may never get another opportunity like that again. So, I'm down." 

Saquon Barkley reacts to the team deciding to not play him in the final game

Sounds like he told Nick Sirianni he wanted to do it, but is OK with the team’s decision to rest the starters: pic.twitter.com/5kYGANKj1E

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 1, 2025

So Barkley didn't pretend as though there was no part of him that wanted to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, which has stood since 1984. Yes, there are 17 games now, as opposed to 16 in 1984. There were 16 in 1984, as opposed to 14 when O.J. Simpson set the previous rushing record in 1973. No player has broken or even approached Dickerson's record in the three previous years of the 17-game slate, and with it appearing like a matter of when, not if the league expands to 18 games, someone is going to break Dickerson's record. It could have been Barkley. 

But for as genuinely interested as Barkley seemed in having a shot to rush for 101 yards in Week 18 and set a new mark, he also came off pretty comfortable with the decision Sirianni elected to make. 

"But at the end of the day, I don't care if I'm putting the team at risk," Barkley said. "He's the head coach for a reason. He makes those decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make ... I let him know that if you want me to play, I'm gonna go out there and make sure I get it, and if we don't, I'm OK with that too." 

While most teams usually hate having their bye week as early as Week 5, it's hard to say the 2024 Eagles haven't benefitted from it. They were 2-2 in their first four games with a pair of new coordinators. Since the bye week, they are 11-1. 

Still, the Eagles have played for 12 weeks in a row. Because the No. 1 seed will either go to the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles will not have a bye in the first round of the NFC playoffs. To win the second Super Bowl in franchise history, they'll have to rattle off four more wins. The best thing for the team probably is to rest in Week 18. 

Would it have been cool for Barkley to break the record in Week 18? Yes. But he'll have to settle for 2,005 yards, the Offensive Player of the Year Award and a shot at chasing a Super Bowl. There are worse consolation prizes.