Former NFL running back Darren Sproles believes there is only one candidate for the NFL Most Valuable Player. It is not Josh Allen; it is not Lamar Jackson. It is Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Running backs stick together!
Darren Sproles Has Surprise NFL MVP Candidate
Sproles, a former All-Pro running back in the NFL, believes the Eagles running back has earned the MVP based on his statistics alone and predicated upon the fact there are not many backs who eclipse the 2,000 rushing yards plateau in a single season.
Appearing on “Up & Adams,” Sproles said there is only one player who deserves consideration for the award.
“Everybody is saying the MVP is a quarterback award, but I feel like it has to go to Saquon,” Sproles said. “He has had a sensational season. I just wish he could have gotten the rushing record. He is having an incredible year. It’s gotta go to Saquon.”
3x Pro Bowler @DarrenSproles on the MVP race 🗣️
"It HAS to go to Saquon." 👀@heykayadams @saquon @Eagles | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Wd1BF1uBpr
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 7, 2025
Barkley has rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games. He did not play in the final game against the New York Giants as many of the starters were held out for injury protection.
Had Barkley played against the porous Giants defense, he almost certainly would have broken Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record which was set in 1984 — Barkley needed 101 yards against New York.
In the first game against the Giants this season, on the road at MetLife Stadium, Barkley rushed for 176 yards and was taken out of the game near the beginning of the fourth quarter. He averaged 10.4 yards per carry.
Barkley came to Philadelphia via the Giants in free agency after the 2023 season. The Giants would not match Barkley’s asking price, and the Eagles swooped in and grabbed the former Penn State first-round selection.
He’s surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in 10 of his 15 games. He torched the Los Angeles Rams for 255 yards and two touchdowns right before Thanksgiving. He’s had multiple touchdowns in six games.
He’s just the third running back in NFL history to have four touchdowns of 60 yards or longer in a single season.
“He’s got top-end speed. He can hit the home run,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, before Barkley was held to just 65 yards against Pittsburgh, his second-lowest output of the season. “He’s good in tight spaces. He can get downhill. He can lower his pads. He’s got good lateral abilities. He can make people miss.
“He’s just a really complete player. He’s been dominant. Eye-opening at times.”