Former Giant Saquon Barkley Disagrees that RB Performance Declines After Age 27

Barkley insists that longevity is determined by how well one cares for one's body.

May 30, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off to running back Saquon Barkley (26) during practice at NovaCare Complex. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley doesn’t want to hear that once a running back turns 27, it’s all downhill from there.

“That’s [BS],” Barkley said according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Marcus Allen played until he was 36, 37 years old. Some of the greats that I admire and I look up and study, they played well into their 30s. Barry (Sanders) left at 29, 30, and he left in his prime. It’s what you put in, what you put in is what you get out. That’s any position.

“There’s this weird thing with running backs right now. Is it a difficult position to play? Yes. Do you take wear and tear? Yes. But who are you or anyone else to tell me how long I can play the game? I call [BS].”

It’s unclear if Barkley was directly responding to Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who, in the Hard Knocks series focusing on the Giants’ off-season, mentioned to former NFL running back turned scout Frank Gore that most running backs decline from the wear and tear they endure at around the age of 27.

Barkley turned 27 on February 9.

Barkley isn’t wrong when he says that everyone is different and it’s a matter of how well one cares for themselves throughout one's career. But some backs have had fewer injuries than others, and that injury history often factors into a team's assessment when investing in thehe position.

In Barkley’s case, he has missed time with injuries in four of his six NFL seasons with lower body injuries, including the 2020 campaign when he tore his ACL two games into that season. While he fully recovered from that injury, some have questioned whether he has that special burst he showed coming out of Penn State for the 2018 NFL draft.

Injuries aside, Barkley’s wear and tear amounts to just over 200 carries per season, not counting any receptions.  

But that didn’t stop the Eagles from giving Barkley a three-year, $37.75 million contract, which placed him among the top five highest-paid at the running back position.

Barkley, who has held his tongue in sharing his side of the story about how things went down with the Giants, seems more focused on putting any bad blood that might have developed during his exit from the team behind him as he looks forward to continuing his career in green. 

“When it’s over for me, it’s over for me,” he said. “But I feel like if I continue to put the right stuff in my body and do the right things, there will be a day when I’m 32 or 33, and I want to hang it up, and I’m going to do it just because.”

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