Saquon Barkley believes the best is yet to come in his career. The crude message below is for anyone doubting him.
The Philadelphia Eagles star turned 29 earlier this season, an age when running backs often start to see their on-field production dip. In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Zach Berman, Barkley doesn’t see that happening to him.
NFL legend Barry Sanders, Barkley’s favorite player, had his best season at age 29. The Detroit Lions icon was named league MVP after rushing for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1997, the year Saquon was born.
Barkley wants to channel his inner Barry Sanders heading into next season.
“The competitor in me, who I am to the core, I want to say ‘F— everybody. You don’t think I’m able to put myself in that category?’” Barkley told Berman. “Why can’t I put myself in that category for another five more years? That’s the mentality I have.”
“When I look at the guys that I want to be in the category with when I’m done playing, they all played well when they got older. I think if you look at Walter (Payton), like the late 20s, a little bit into the early 30s, they still were playing at a high level. I think Barry’s a great example. Barry’s best year was when he was 29. Not saying that necessarily I’ll have my best (year) at 29. He had 1,500 yards the next year, and took a tackle for loss, and he had (1,491) yards when he was 30, and left on top.”
Barkley looked like a true MVP candidate at age 27, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns across 16 games en route to an Eagles Super Bowl victory. He saw his production nearly halved last season, prompting many to wonder whether Barkley’s best years are behind him.
Like Sanders, Barkley wants to break past the conventional expiration date for running backs and have another historic season.
