It felt like a historic moment at the time, a Penn State running back being selected No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft. But in hindsight, Saquon Barkley going to the New York Giants back in 2018 was the worst thing that could have happened to his career.
Despite winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Barkley wasted away on the Giants, battling injuries while stuck behind a perpetually awful offensive line. Arguably the most talented running back in the league, Barkley was a Pro Bowler just twice and only produced three 1,000-yard seasons.
Then, last offseason, after six years, Barkley finally left New York, signing in free agency with the Philadelphia Eagles. That fresh start led Barkley to become the ninth player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season while he set the league’s single-season rushing record for the regular and postseason combined.
If the Penn State legend had never made a bold move in free agency, he never would have set records or hoisted the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night. So, maybe other former Nittany Lions should follow his lead because these three players could use a fresh start to kickstart or reignite their careers.
A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Freiermuth has had a successful career in Pittsburgh. He’s racked up 2,190 yards on 220 receptions through his first four seasons and earned himself a lucrative four-year $48 million extension to stay with the team.
However, Pittsburgh’s passing offense, or lack thereof over the past four seasons, has limited his production. Freiermuth could likely be a 1,000-yard receiver in the right circumstances, but has caught passes from a washed-up Ben Roethlisberger, Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, and a washed-up Russell Wilson.
His extension likely means he’s not going anywhere, but a change of scenery could be good for the talented tight end.
There’s no better place for a running back than Philadelphia, and before Barkley dominated in the Eagles backfield, Sanders helped lead the team to the Super Bowl. After rushing for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022, his final year in Philly, Sanders signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, and his career has taken a nosedive.
The former Nittany Lion, who replaced Barkley in the backfield in Happy Valley, has yet to clear 500 yards in either of his two seasons with the Panthers, and in 2024 took a backseat to Chubba Hubbard as the team’s feature back. Heading into his age 28 season, Sanders still has talent, but without a fresh start somewhere else, it’ll be wasted and he’ll miss out on another opportunity to cash in.
Aside from Barkley, Parsons is the biggest star of any former Nittany Lion in the NFL. While he’s yet to win Defensive Player of the Year, he’s been a dominant force since Day 1 in Dallas, but his days with the Cowboys might be numbers.
Parsons is heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and is due a massive extension. However, Jerry Jones, who has created salary cap issues in Dallas, could be reluctant to give it to him, and maybe that’s a good thing. Parsons would fetch a haul on the trade market and will garner a record-breaking contract from either the Cowboys or his next team, though more importantly if he gets out of Dallas, he can compete for a Super Bowl.
The Cowboys haven’t won it all in 30 years and the franchise is heading in the wrong direction with the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as its head coach. Now might be the time for Parsons to strong-arm the organization to get out of Dallas before the prime years of his career are wasted on mediocre teams that can’t compete for the title.