Saquon: ‘I want to be the greatest of all time’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saquon Barkley dreams big. Really big.
“I want to be the greatest of all time,” Barkley said after practice Sunday.
And maybe now he’s in a place where he can pursue those dreams.
It’s not easy to be the greatest player of all time when you’re playing for a team that has never won and doesn’t have any great players.
By leaving the Giants and signing with the Eagles, Barkley would be going from a team with the fourth-worst record and just one playoff win since his rookie year in 2018 to a team that has made the playoffs in five of the last six years and reached the Super Bowl twice in the last seven years.
He’ll be going from a team that has had three offensive Pro Bowl players since 2018 to a team that has had 21 offensive Pro Bowl players.
“I don’t want to brag, but the video speaks for itself,” Barkley said. “I’m just trying to raise the level, expand my game. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of great things in this league. I feel like I’ve made a name for myself, even battling injuries, and I feel like with this offense and the guys around me, I can continue to do that.”
The Giants went 34-64-1 in Barkley’s six years with the team, and only three teams (Jaguars, Jets and Panthers) had fewer wins from 2018-2023. Barkley has had one offensive teammate selected to the Pro Bowl total since 2019, tight end Evan Engram in 2020.
Now, for the first time since his rookie year playing alongside Odell Beckham Jr., Barkley is joining an offensive line that has other players opposing defenses need to be wary of.
It will also be exciting to see how Barkley plays behind an elite offensive line that features A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Jalen Hurts.
“I just want to be great,” Barkley said. “I just want to reach the highest level I can. That’s my goal. Will (Shipley) asked me the other day, ‘What motivates you?’ And I said the same thing. That’s where I’m at. That’s where I’m at. I’m not going to stop, I’m going to keep trying.”
“And the reality is that a lot of people don’t reach their full potential sometimes, but at the end of the day, I know that even if I give it my all and don’t reach my potential when it’s all said and done, I’ll still be happy.”
Barkley has rushed for 5,211 yards, caught 288 catches, 7,311 scrimmage yards and 47 touchdowns in 74 career games despite missing most of the 2020 season and a total of 25 games since his rookie season.
He is one of just seven running backs to rush for 5,000 yards, have 275 catches and 45 touchdowns in their first 74 games – the others are Chuck Foreman, Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk, Edgarin James, LaDainian Tomlinson and Le’Veon Bell.
To be talked about as one of the greatest players of all time, Barkley will need to stay healthy and have several great seasons in a row.
Barkley knows that. He’s something of a running back historian, having grown up watching Hall of Famers like Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton, and studying more recent names like Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson and his generational counterpart, Christian McCaffrey.
He thinks Payton is the best ever: “All-around tough, great pass pro, between the tackles, outside, Walter is the best.”
Among active running backs, Barkley’s 7,311 scrimmage yards are the fourth-most by a player before his 27th birthday, behind Ezekiel Elliott (who also starred in Kellen Moore’s offense), McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara.
“I’ve never copied anybody,” he said. “I just try to watch as many guys as I can. I’ve watched all the great backs that my dad always looked at. Barry, Walter. I was watching Todd Gurley the other day, I was watching Zeke, who’s obviously been in offense before. LaDainian Thompson, Marshall Faulk, guys like that, I just try to watch them.”
“I feel like God has blessed me with incredible talent for my size. … I can move like a little guy and run like a big guy, so I try to add all of that to my tool belt.”
“It’s hard to say who is the greatest of all time, so I just try to be the best version of myself every day, have that Mamba mentality, push myself every day, go out and win games, compete at the highest level and try to win championships. And when it’s all over, when I look back, hopefully you guys have made the decision and I see my name in that category.”
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