There was an interesting split when it came to legendary NFL running backs and their takes on Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s “one for the ages” season in 2024.
Most notably, Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson was openly salty about Barkley threatening to break his single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards set in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley ultimately sat out the Eagles’ meaningless regular-season finale and finished with 2,005 yards, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to crack the 2,000-yard mark.
On the other hand — and at the polar opposite of Dickerson’s approach — was Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders.
Sanders openly rooted for Barkley throughout the regular season and on the way to him being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and winning a Super Bowl in his first season in Philadelphia. Sanders doubled down on his praise for Barkley in an interview with RG.org’s DJ Siddiqi on March 27, mentioning Barkley among the NFL’s all-time greats while building a Mount Rushmore of running backs.
While Barkley didn’t crack Sanders’ list of Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and himself, Sanders singled him out as a player who could potentially bump one of them out in the future.
“You gotta make room for Derrick Henry,” Sanders said. “He’ll be up there at some point, and then Saquon looks like he’s headed there. Eric Dickerson … if I start naming running backs, I’ll be here all day.”
Sanders in Discussion for NFL’s Greatest RB
The conversation about the greatest running back in NFL history usually boils down to a battle royale between Brown, Payton and Sanders, who shocked the sports world when he retired before the 1999 season via a fax message to his hometown newspaper, The Wichita (Kansas) Eagle.
At the time, Sanders was just 1,457 yards short of breaking Payton’s NFL career rushing record. In 10 NFL seasons, Sanders was a 10-time NFL All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler and earned NFL MVP honors in 1997 after he rushed for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Eagles Made Barkley Highest-Paid RB in NFL History
The Eagles signed Barkley away from their NFC East rival New York Giants on a 3-year, $37.75 million free agent contract before the 2024 season. Following Barkley’s career year, Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman made the unique move of signing Barkley to another contract after just one season.
“Eagles are rewarding Saquon Barkley with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on March 4. “The deal makes Barkley the NFL’s first $20 million+ per-year running back. Barkley also has the ability to earn an additional $15 million in incentives and escalators. The deal includes $36 million fully guaranteed at signing. The Eagles are taking the rare step of extending Barkley one year into his three-year deal — and in the same league year in which they signed him to the initial contract.”
By comparison, the Lions made Sanders the highest paid running back in NFL history when he signed a 6-year, $33.5 million contract in July 1997.
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