During a recent interview, Saquon Barkley told Chris Long that he’ll probably be one of those guys who retires out of nowhere.
Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes, we wish that weren’t the case. Sometimes, we wish we could bottle up the best memories, shake them up, stir them up, and pour them into a garden so we can grow more of them. If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Philadelphia Eagles, he has done his job and given us enough memories for a lifetime.
If Saquon Barkley never played another snap for the Eagles, depending on who you ask, he might already be the best free-agent signing in this franchise’s history. Here’s the best part. He isn’t done! He signed a three-year deal when he joined the organization in March 2024. He signed a two-year extension last March, but don’t take anything for granted. There are no guarantees he’s sticking around to play it out.
Brace yourself for Saquon Barkley’s recent confession.
Some of these podcasts need to vanish and do so quickly. They do. Every day, new ones are born, and most miss the mark like Charles Barkley hoisting one from the three-point stripe. Names aren’t necessary. Let’s instead focus on some of the winning brands: New Heights, Exciting Mics, and Green Light with Chris Long are three that come to mind almost immediately.
During a recent airing of the latter, Chris interviewed Saquon Barkley for about 43 minutes. It’s an intriguing watch, but it offers a sad but honest reminder that even the great Saquon is mortal.
“I’ll probably be one of those guys that (will announce retirement) out of nowhere. I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over. I don’t think I will ever lose that passion. I’m just a competitor. The competitive nature is always going to be there.”
Yeah, after watching Saquon break long runs every week last season and asking ourselves, ‘Where has this guy been?’, no one wants to envision a world without him. Can we at least get a few more years out of this and, if at all possible, at least one or two more Lombardi Trophies? Then, if Saquon wants to walk away, we would support his decision.
He’s like the perfect dessert to a five-star meal. He’s at the top of his game on the best roster he’s ever played on. As Jalen Hurts said towards the end of Super Bowl 59, Saquon was indeed the ‘last piece’ to the Eagles’ championship puzzle.
He’s also a fan of Barry Sanders, and we know how his career ended. Barkley’s following statement was more frightening than the former.
“One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day it will be out of nowhere. I’ll probably be ballin’ and just be like, ‘Yeah’ and call it quits.”
Again, no one wants to think about that. Then again, the running back position is football’s most punishing. We’ve seen Barry retire early. We’ve read and seen the stories of Jim Brown retiring while still in his prime.
No man knows the day or the hour, not even Saquon himself. When he calls it a career, it will be a sad day, one we’ll ultimately have to accept. All we ask is a little more time to appreciate this gift. He’s an Eagle now. History won’t remember him as a member of that team in New York. Neither will we, but let’s hope he’s having too much fun to think about his mortality right now.
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