In his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley ran to historic success, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, hitting 2,005 (eighth all time).
He could have actually rushed for more, but sat out Week 18 as the Eagles prepared for what would be a Super Bowl-winning postseason. His encore in 2025, though, left a bit more to be desired as he rushed for 1,140 yards and Philadelphia went 11-6 before a wild-card loss.
The former New York Giants star running back is using the setback as motivation for the 2026 season.
“So that’s a motivation for me – try to get back to that game,” Barkley said. “That’s why I train the way I train. I would love to have had a faster start last year, but you can’t get caught up in the stats. You can’t get too caught up in numbers. Some of my better years weren’t based off numbers. It was based off how I handled myself in certain situations.”
He admitted the team’s step back in 2025 wasn’t good enough.
“There is going to be one winner and thirty-one losers,” Barkley said, “and the losers are all the same.”
Philadelphia opens the 2026 season against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 13.