Eric Dickerson To Eagles' Superstar: 'I Would Trade That 2000 Yards For A Super Bowl In A Heartbeat'

Saquon Barkley finished with 2,005 rushing yards this season, 101 short of setting a new single-season record despite sitting out Week 18.

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley looks on before a game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - In a different circumstance perhaps Saquon Barkley would have had an opportunity to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.

With nothing to play for in Week 18, the Eagles decided to rest Barkley and many of the team's other key contributors in a 20-13 win over the New York Giants, leaving the superstar running back 100 yards shy of Dickerson with a Philadelphia franchise record of 2,005.

Appearing on SiriusXM's “Let’s Go!” with legendary coach Bill Belichick and Jim Gray, Dickerson revealed part of a discussion he had with Barkley on Sunday.

“If you have a record, you wanna hold onto ‘em. They’re hard to get," Dickerson admitted. "… But I did talk to Saquon. I gave him a call to congratulate him on going into the 2000-yard club. I told him I would've liked to see him play at least a half to see if he had a chance to get it. But I understand the most important thing is winning the Super Bowl, it’s not about records.”

To little surprise, Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. agreed with Dickerson's sentiments.

“I agree with Eric. It's about championships," Belichick said. "And the individual records are nice, especially when they come with championships, but I think you play for your teammates, you play for your team, and you play for a championship.”

At 14-3 and set to open the postseason against 11-6 Green Bay this weekend, the Eagles are regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

“I don't know if he was disappointed. I mean, I'm sure he wanted to play, but, you know, like I was trying to explain to other people, you just can't play him. You have to play everybody," Dickerson said. "You have to play the offensive line. You have to play the receivers. Especially the offensive lineman. You can't put a backup offensive line in there with your star running back 'cause something might happen.

"It might happen no matter what, but you can't take a chance of getting someone hurt. That's the most important part. Like I told him, I said, ‘Look, I would trade that 2000 yards for a Super Bowl in a heartbeat.’ That's a no-brainer 'cause football is the ultimate team sport. It's not about the individual. If you get some records along the way, great, that's fine.”

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