Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season | NFL News

Philadelphia Eagles run back Saquon Barkley made history by becoming the ninth player with at least 2,000 receiving yards in a season, making him a part of one of the NFL’s most prestigious clubs. He finished last week’s game against Dallas in Week 17 with 1,838 yards for the season, passing for over 500 yards and 167 carries on 31 carries, putting him on the verge of 2,000 yards. Barkley will get a chance to surpass the mark next week when his former team, the New York Giantsvisit. Barkley talked about reaching the season milestone in his final game of the season and downplayed the significance after the win.

Saquon Barkley made history by becoming the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards

Saquon Barkley became the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and he finished with 167 yards on 31 carries in the Eagles’ 41-7 win. Barkley surpassed the season mark of 2,005 rushing yards. Against the New York Giants the following week, Barkley could complete Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 with 101. After a win in New York, Barkley downplayed the chances that this could be their last game and that he had a chance at such a record one-game performance.

“I’m not overtly trying to get it,” Barkley told reporters. “I’m not afraid of it. I’d love to do that, but we’re focused on bigger things. Whether we play or rest next week, I’m okay with it. I didn’t sign here just to hit 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special with the team.” Barkley praised his teammates for helping him reach the 2,000-yard mark. He added, “You can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
The Eagles’ starters aren’t sure if they’ll play next week against the Giants as they remain the No. 2 seed in the NFC; So if the win doesn’t impact their potential playoff placement, head coach Nick Sirianni could instead place his starters on the bench to prepare for the playoff push. In fact, there’s nothing that makes for more compelling football than seeing Barkley on the field with a chance to break the all-time rushing record against a team that allowed him to leave less than a year ago .
In 2017, Barkley finished his college career finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting with 304 total votes, third in Maxwell Award voting, and received numerous national and Big Ten Conference awards and recognition. Over the course of his three-year college career, Barkley set Penn State records for most all-purpose yards (5,538), most rushing touchdowns (43), most receiving yards by a running back (1,157) and most rushing yards by a freshman and a sophomore, and the most total yards in a single game.
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Barkley was selected second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and set several records en route to a Pro Bowl nomination for the 2018 iteration and the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year title. He suffered injuries during the 2020 season but was selected to the Pro Bowl again in 2022. Becoming a free agent after the 2023 season, Barkley signed a three-year contract with the Eagles and broke multiple franchise records for rushing yards and rushed for over 2,000 yards.