No one had a bigger turnaround than Saquon Barkley in the 2024 season. After being rejected by the New York Giants in lieu of paying Daniel Jones, Barkley joined the Philadelphia Eagles on a relatively small deal. What followed was one of the greatest seasons by a running back in NFL history as Barkley recorded 2,005 rushing yards and every milestone imaginable.
As a result, he now holds the record for the highest-paid running back in league history after signing a $41.2 million extension this offseason. The entire team is certain that they want to run it back and potentially go back-to-back. However, the engine of the entire operation is Barkley. As a result, fans had to wonder if the superstar running back was going to be on the field when the Eagles began their preseason slate in a matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
When Does the Saquon Barkley Encore Begin?
Barkley was out to prove everyone, and particularly the Giants, wrong last year. Recording over 2,000 yards in the regular season, he had a chance to make an attempt for the most rushing yards in a regular season.
However, the Offensive Player of the Year and Philadelphia as a whole had bigger fish to fry. With their sights on the Super Bowl, Barkley powered their run through the NFC, en route to the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
In the process, he also set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season when combining the regular season and the playoffs, with 2,504 yards to his credit. However, fresh off a record-breaking $41.2 million extension, the three-time Pro Bowler is still hungry for more.
The quest for a repeat begins with a preseason date against the Bengals. However, like last year, head coach Nick Sirianni is against the idea of his starters playing major time in the preseason. As a result, most standouts like Barkley and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts are going to skip the game entirely.
Saquon Barkley’s best plays from his 2024 OPOY season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fbp8uh4CpY
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) August 5, 2025
But with a history of minuscule playing time in preseason, that shouldn’t take away from his hype going into Year 2 for the Eagles, especially when he still has a ton to prove. The biggest detractors coming off a historic season are more hypothetical than evidence-based.
Typically, running backs with over 2,000 rushing yards don’t follow it up with a year anywhere close to that level of production. Add in the curse of the Madden cover athlete, and Barkley, who graced the covers of Madden 26, has a lot riding against him in 2025.
