The Philadelphia Eagles got one of the best seasons by a running back in National Football League history in 2024 thanks to Saquon Barkley.
Barkley topped 2,000 rushing yards in the regular season and had a shot at breaking the all-time record if the Eagles didn't rest their starters in Week 18. Clearly, the team made the right decision, though. The Eagles were rejuvenated throughout the postseason and dominated on the way to the Super Bowl.
Barkley shined and seemingly could do no wrong. He shined week in and week out and on top of the insane overall stats also had the best individual play of the season. When the Eagles took on the Jacksonville Jaguars, Barkley not only hurdled a guy, but did so backwards.
It's going to be tough to top his overall season and seems pretty impossible to top this individual play as well. While this is the case, he's already thinking of a way to do so, as shared by ESPN's Jayson Buford.
"How can I adapt the spin?" Barkley explains. "It was a 180 move, so it would be cool if I could do a full 360." He sees it clearly in his head, but it has to be the right time for it, and the move has to be perfected so that when it hits, it looks like something only Superman can do. In his hunger for another way to stay above his competition and help the Eagles become a new dynasty, Barkley lives in the sweet spot between preparation and divine greatness. Tiger Woods and his dominant run of four Grand Slam championships in 2000 is a burning inspiration for him: a lodestar, if you will. And Barkley is eloquent when talking about Woods. 'I don't know if any individual had a season like that, but in 1999, he had an amazing season, too.' Barkley adds, 'It's about how he was able to stack the years.'"
If Barkley can break out a 360-degree hurdle next season, it would be over. There's no topping that.
