Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley generated headlines recently when he said that he could retire “out of nowhere,” similar to how Hall of Famer Barry Sanders called time on his playing days while in his prime.
While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Barkley indicated Eagles fans have nothing to worry about regarding his dedication to the cause heading into this summer.
“I don’t think I’ll ever lose the passion,” Barkley explained, as Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com and NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro shared. “The retirement thing, it kind of caught a little fire on social media. I don’t plan on retiring any time soon. The question was asked to me. I don’t have a set date or how many years I want to play. I would love to play this game as long as God lets me and my body lets me.”
Barkley is coming off the best season of his NFL career to date, which began when the New York Giants made him the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The 28-year-old earned Offensive Player of the Year Award honors after he led the league with 2,283 yards from scrimmage for the 2024 regular season, and he later helped the Eagles notch a dominant 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
“Yeah, I guess anybody could do that, right? I just know he’s got a lot of good football left in him,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said about possibly losing Barkley to retirement sooner rather than later, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “…As long as I’m the head coach here, I’d always want to have Saquon Barkley on this football team.”
It’s worth noting that Barkley has numerous reasons to remain an active player for years to come. He’s now under contract through the 2028 campaign after receiving a two-year extension reportedly worth $41.2M, which includes $36M guaranteed with $15M more in incentives earlier this offseason.
“I feel like I’m entering my prime,” Barkley added on Tuesday. “I just gotta continue to have the mindset of listening to everyone, buying into whatever they want me to do. Whatever they want me to do, try to do it at the best of my ability.”
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Barkley as the betting favorite at +650 odds to claim the Offensive Player of the Year Award for the upcoming season. Judging by his latest comments, it sounds as if retirement isn’t on Barkley’s mind as the Eagles prepare to defend their Super Bowl title.
