Saquon Barkley Breaks Silence on Not Having Chance to Break Rushing Record

Saquon Barkley became just the ninth member of the 2,000-rushing yard club in NFL history in Week 17, but won’t have the chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record in Week 18.

The former Penn State All-American, and current Eagles star running back, won’t play Sunday in the season finale against the New York Giants as head coach Nick Sirianni plans to rest the vast majority of the starters with Philadelphia locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Barkley, who was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Giants, entered Sunday’s game needing only 101 yards to make history and break Dickerson’s record.

He won’t, however, get the chance.

“[Sirianni] asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it,” Barkley told reporters at his locker Wednesday. “I said on Sunday [that] I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it, it was an opportunity to implant my name in football history, and I may never get an opportunity like that again. So, I’m down. But at the end of the day, I don’t care for putting the team at risk.

“He’s the head coach for a reason. He makes those decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you let me play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it. And if I don’t, I am OK with that, too.”

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Barkley has had a historic first season in Philadelphia, and for the first time in his career has a legitimate opportunity to make a run at a Super Bowl championship, which he says matters more than any sort of personal accolade.

“It kind of would have been a full-circle moment,” Barkley admitted. “But, at the end of the day it wasn’t in God’s plan. I’ve got bigger things in mind, and we get a chance to rest and get ready to roll for the playoffs.”