Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ended his 2024 with NFL history. In his team’s Dec. 29 game against the Dallas Cowboys, he became the ninth player to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season.
With one game left in the Eagles’ ongoing campaign, the RB is only 101 yards away from breaking Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s rushing record of 2,105 yards, which he set with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. However, after coach Nick Sirianni said that Barkley would be among the players who will rest in Week 18 against the New York Giants, Dickerson’s record will not be broken this season.
Deion Sanders Reacts to Eric Dickerson’s Statement on Saquon Barkley
After former NFL RB LeSean McCoy criticized Dickerson for not vocally supporting Barkley in his pursuit to break the single-season rushing record, Dickerson cleared the misunderstanding:
“I love running backs, I’m a running back. My favorite player was OJ Simpson. I’ve always said OJ did it in 14 games, I did it in 15, one extra game. I would never hate on another running back. That’s not me. So, like I said, know your history about running backs. If [Barkley] broke the record, brother, I ain’t going to lose any sleep over that, but am I cheering for someone to break my record? No, I don’t think anybody does.
“If you have a record and you want somebody to break it, that’s on you. I’m different, I’m old school. You know how hard it is to get a record? Very hard. I’m a Saquon Barkley fan. I never thought he reached his full potential in New York. I’m glad to see him in Philadelphia. I’m glad to see him get 2,000 yards.”
To this, Colorado Buffaloes coach and former NFL star Deion Sanders responded on X (formerly known as Twitter):
“This is 1 of my heroes! He said what he said and that’s it. His curl was also wet but mine looked wet but it was dry.”
This is 1 of my heroes! He said what he said and that’s it. His curl was also wet but mine looked wet but it was dry. https://t.co/pf4nx0MIxo
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 3, 2025
Barkley commented on not playing in the Week 18 game on Jan. 1, expressing his emotions on not having a chance to claim the record:
“[At first], I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it was an opportunity to imprint my name in football history. Might not ever get an opportunity like that again, so I’m down. But at the end of the day, I don’t care for putting the team at risk.
“He is a coach for a reason,” Barkley continued, referring to Sirianni’s decision to sit him. “He makes the decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I’ll let him know, ‘If you want me to play, Imma go out there and make sure I get it and if we don’t I’m OK with that too.'”
Saquon on not going for the all-time single season rushing record:
“It was an opportunity to imprint my name in football history. Might not ever get an opportunity like that again…but at the end of the day I don’t care for putting the team at risk.” pic.twitter.com/IIa36Jh7eL
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) January 1, 2025
Barkley got off to a flying start when he joined the Eagles this offseason. With 345 carries and 13 rushing touchdowns in 16 games, he was a cornerstone player in powering Philly to the top of the NFC. If he does sit out Week 18, he will use that time to recharge and come back with his best play in the playoffs.