Saquon Barkley had a historic career in Happy Valley, and now that the Penn State legend is out of New York and back in PA with the Philadelphia Eagles, he’s having a historic season. This year, Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to record 2,000 rushing yards in a single season, finishing 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s record, and on Thursday after leading his Eagles to the NFC Championship Game with 205 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams, he was named a finalist for the NFL MVP and AP Offensive Player of the Year.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Barkley was already named first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career. Though an underwhelming and injury-plagued career with the Giants, Barkley’s last NFL award came in 2018 when he was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 2,028 scrimmage yards and 15 total touchdowns. This was his first season back over the 2,000 scrimmage yard threshold since 2018, and in a quarterback-driven league, Barkley is the lone non-QB finalist for MVP. The other four award finalists are Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff.
Late in the season, the award became a two-horse race between Jackson, already a two-time MVP, and Allen, still searching for his first. It’s unlikely that Barkley can win the MVP, which has not gone to a running back since Adrian Peterson also broke the 2,000-yard barrier in 2012. However, the Offensive Player of the Year is certainly on the table for the former Nittany Lion.
The last five Offensive Player of the Year awards have gone to either wide receivers or running backs with Christian McCaffrey, Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp, Derrick Henry, and Michael Thomas all taking home the hardware. Henry is up for the award again, along with Jackson, Burrow, and Ja’Marr Chase who won the triple crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Both the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year will be announced during the NFL honors on February 6, four days before the Super Bowl, which Barkley hopes to be playing in. The Eagles take on the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Should Saquon Barkley win NFL MVP or Offensive Player of the Year?
The MVP is out of reach for Barkley, even with a historic rushing season. Had Barkley played in the final week of the regular season when the Eagles had the No. 2 seed in the NFC locked up and broken the single-season rushing record, he would have been more in the conversation, but the reality is, MVP is a quarterback award. The best running back will never be as valuable to his team as the best quarterback in the modern NFL.
However, Barkley has a very real chance to win Offensive Player of the Year. It will be between him and Chase. The last time a running back broke 2,000 yards, Derrick Henry in 2020, he won the Offensive Player of the Year, and the last time a wide receiver won the triple crown, Cooper Kupp in 2021, he won the Offensive Player of the Year. While the award has nothing to do with team success, the fact that Barkley’s Eagles entered the playoff as one of the hottest teams in football and Chase’s Bengals missed out on the postseason entirely, may tip the scales in Saquon’s favor.