Saquon Barkley is one win away from being a Super Bowl champion; he’s also the AP Offensive Player of the Year award winner, garnering more votes than Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
The Associated Press named Barkley a finalist for the MVP award as well.
Barkley is preparing for Super Bowl LIX and released this message while at the hotel with his team.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be selected the Player of the Year,” Barkley said in a pre-recorded statement, electing to focus on preparing for Super Bowl LIX instead of attending the event in person. “I’d like to give thanks to God first. Without Him, none of this would be possible.
“I’d like to give thanks to my family, my fiancee, my children, my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters, thank you guys so much for (your) love and support throughout this journey. I’d like to thank the fans of Philadelphia for showing so much love to me and my family, especially being the newcomers.
A message from your NFL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 🔊@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/YmrEDs7QGA
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 7, 2025
Barkley led the league with a franchise record of 2,005 rushing yards, making him the ninth player in NFL history to post 2,000+ rushing yards in a season. Overall, Barkley logged the 8th-most rushing yards in league history, trailing only Eric Dickerson in 1984 (2,105), Adrian Peterson in 2012 (2,097), Jamal Lewis in 2003 (2,066), Barry Sanders in 1997 (2,053), Derrick Henry in 2020 (2,027), Terrell Davis in 1998 (2,008) and Chris Johnson in 2009 (2,006).
Note: O.J. Simpson, in 1973 (2,003), was the other member of the 2,000+ yard club. Including playoffs, Barkley’s 2,329 rushing yards (119 in the NFC Wild Card Playoff vs. Green Bay) are the 3rd-most in NFL single-season history, behind Terrell Davis in 1998 (2,476) and 1997 (2,331). He is just 148 rushing yards shy of breaking Davis’ record.
