It was clear from the opening drive that Sunday’s game against the Giants meant something extra for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
After all, it was his return game against his former team, and the Metlife Stadium crowd had booed him loudly in the pregame. So, it was no surprise that Barkley had himself a special afternoon, rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown. But he wasn’t looking to chase personal accolades at all.
That was clear from some mic’d-up footage that the Eagles shared on Monday.
With the Eagles up big on the Giants late, head coach Nick Sirianni told Barkley that he was just 13 yards shy of his career-high rushing record for a single game. Knowing how cool it probably would have been to set that mark against his former team, Sirianni gave Barkley the option to stay in the game. Barkley, though, couldn’t have had a classier response.
Saquon Barkley wanted the young guys to play instead of going for his record. What a teammate. @saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tJi8waO7MY
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 21, 2024
Barkley told his head coach that he’d rather see the young players and backups get an opportunity than for him to chase that record. Sirianni asked if he was sure — that he would let him play if he wanted — and Barkley again said he wanted to see his teammates eat.
That meant rookie Will Shipley was able to have the first eight carries of his NFL career. Barkley knew that the team’s goal outweighed setting a career high in a single game, and it was cool for him to say that in the moment.
