The Philadelphia Eagles locked Saquon Barkley up on an extension that will keep him under contract in the City of Brotherly Love through the 2028 season.
In a well-deserved move, the Eagles signed Barkley to a two-year, $41.2 million extension after the running back helped lead Philadelphia to a victory in Super Bowl LIX. This made Barkley the first player in league history at the running back position to average at least $20 million in annual salary.
While fans would think that would mean the 28-year-old rusher will be leading the Eagles' backfield for years to come, it appears as though the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year may have different plans regarding just how long he plans on playing in the league.
Eagles' Saquon Barkley Makes Concerning Retirement Comments
During a recent appearance on former Eagles defensive end Chris Long's podcast, Barkley revealed that he has no set plan concerning just how long he plans to continue playing football for a living. He went as far as to say that he will likely wake up one day, decide that he's had enough, and call it a career.
“I’ll probably be one of those guys that it’ll be out of nowhere. I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over,’” Barkley said.
Barkley went on to discuss how his favorite player of all-time, former Detroit Lions star Barry Sanders, handled his retirement from the NFL that way, and Barkley can see himself doing the same.
“One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day it’ll be out of nowhere. I’ll probably be ballin’ and just be like, yeah, call it quits,” Barkley said.
First things first. Barkley isn't saying he will retire before the 2025 season kicks off, and that thought doesn't even appear to be on his radar at this time. Unfortunately, it seems as though his future with the Eagles could turn into a year-to-year sort of thing sooner rather than later.
This isn't ideal for Philadelphia's front office, as Barkley, much like Sanders in his prime, is far too talented to consider using resources to acquire a player to help make life after their retirement easier to navigate, whenever that may come. Also, it would be a hard sell for Howie Roseman to make to a top-tier running back to join the franchise and not be "the guy" until Barkley decides he's had enough.
While not ideal, it also isn't the worst problem to have for the Eagles and their fan base. It's always better to have a player as talented as Barkley on your roster than it is to be forced to play against them. The front office should start planning for life after Barkley sooner rather than later if this is his approach to the second half of his career, though.
In the meantime, Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff would be best served to get the absolute most out of Barkley on the field that they possibly can, as he admits, the end could arrive at any moment.