Saquon Barkley has already given Eagles fans a highlight they’ll never shake, but he doesn’t want that to be the whole story.
The backward hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars became the play everybody replayed from Barkley’s 2024 season, and it even helped land him on the Madden 26 cover. Barkley knows exactly how big it was. Still, he made it clear he’d rather be attached to more than one viral moment.
"When I got to the locker room and got to see the play, I realized I was able to do something pretty cool," Barkley said to USA Today’s Chris Bumbaca. "It's something, it's a play I'll never forget. But I also don't want to be remembered for that play.
"I'm happy I was able to make that play. But I'm ready for the next one."
That doesn’t mean the hurdle is the only thing Eagles fans will carry from Barkley’s time in Philadelphia. His 2024 season was the kind of year backs dream about: a career-high 2,005 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, a Super Bowl win and Offensive Player of the Year honors. But there’s another image from that run that may stick just as hard in Philly - the long touchdown in the snow against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, the score that pushed the Eagles to a two-possession lead and helped seal the win.
That Rams game opened the door to the rest of the playoff run, with the Eagles then beating the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Barkley’s 2025 season was a different story. He finished with 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns, still solid production, just not the kind of year that matched the standard he set the season before.
Now, heading into the 2026 season, Barkley sounds intent on changing the conversation again. With Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator, the setup is different, and the hope is that it helps get Barkley rolling on the ground. If he wants fans to remember him for more than the Jacksonville hurdle, the formula is simple: keep stacking runs, touchdowns and moments that last.
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