Eagles Saquon Barkley "At Peace" With Head Coach's Decision To Rest

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is just 101 yards away from breaking 40-year-old NFL record, but won't have the chance because Week 18 is a meaningless game.

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the football during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Perhaps Lane Johnson said it best when asked on Wednesday about Saquon Barkley not having the opportunity to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record set 40 years ago.

“Obviously, everybody would like to have the record,” the Eagles right tackle, one of several linemen responsible for helping their superstar running back reach 2,005 yards. “You would also like to have the player for the playoff game so you can get greedy if you want to but this league will quickly humble you and put you back in place.”

The Eagles have opted not to get greedy. Even though head coach Nick Sirianni said,
“Probably,” Barkley would take Sunday off when his former team the New York Giants visit Lincoln Financial Field to close out the regular season, there doesn’t seem to be any chance of him playing.

Sirianni said he made the decision to rest Barkley after getting input from a lot of different places, including players, coaches, and, of course, the front office, from general manager Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie. Ultimately, the coach said the decision was all his.

“I’m glad that I didn’t have to make that decision because if you go out there for selfish reasons and something negative happens, I’m the one that’s trying to get the offensive line to get the record for me, that’s crazy,” said Barkley. “Honestly, I’m just happy I didn’t have to make that decision. Nick made it easy for me, and truly, I’m at peace with it.”

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs off the field after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Barkley probably could have had the record already had he played in the fourth quarter of the four games he did not due to the Eagles winning by blowout scores, including one where Sirianni was shown asking his running back if he wanted to go back into a game to set a new career-high, something he would later with 255 yards against the Rams.

“I think my viral (video) ‘let the young boys eat’ kind of came back to bite me in the you-know-what,” Barkley joked. “But no, I wouldn’t change that. There were some games, but like I said, even the next opportunity I have, I’m not going to be like the goal is to break the record.

“You go out there and play the game for the right reasons. You go out there to win and have fun and also enjoy seeing your other guys eat, too. I know I just made a joke about it, but I wouldn’t change (what happened) for anything.”

Barkley doesn’t believe the Giants would make it easy for him to get the 101 yards he needs to break Dickerson’s record of 2,105 set in 1984. It wouldn’t be like Brett Favre allowing Michael Strahan to break the single-season sack record when the then-Packers quarterback went down on his own to give Strahan 22.5 sacks in 2001, sending former Jets standout Mark Gastineau and his 22 sacks in 1984 into second-place on that list.

“No disappointment,” he said. “At the end of the day, I don't have time yet to reflect on the season. I've done a lot of great things so far this year. I always hold myself to a standard. If I could go back and pick 15-to-20 plays if I had done this or made this guy miss, that record would be broken pretty easy. It's no disappointment. I'm blessed to even have an opportunity to do that. Like I said, it's not in God's plan."

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