New Eagles running back Saquon Barkley wants to prove he’s still a ‘special player’

A strange feeling washed over Saquon Barkley as he slipped on an Eagles hoodie for the first time Thursday.

Upon arriving to the NovaCare Complex to finalize a three-year contract with his former NFC East foe, the star running back said he felt like a rookie again learning a new organization and trying to remember names around a new building after spending six years with the New York Giants.

After seeing his daughter Jada put on the same midnight green jersey he had spent his NFL career to this point trying to elude, Barkley conceded his new environment would take some time to adjust to at his introductory news conference Thursday.

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“When I put this hoodie on, it was definitely a little different,” Barkley said. “And seeing my daughter there putting on the Philadelphia Eagles stuff. We’ve been on the worse side of the rivalry I guess you could say for the past couple years.”

Barkley, one of the league’s most dynamic running backs at 27-years old, isn’t wrong. The Giants lost eight of Barkley’s 10 matchups against the Eagles, including a playoff loss last season, extinguishing the only playoff berth and winning season of his Giants career since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2018 NFL draft.

When asked about the main factors behind his decision to sign with the Eagles on the first day the league’s negotiation window opening, Barkley mentioned the proximity to his native Whitehall, Pa. and the history of winning he’s witnessed from a distance the last six years.

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“You know from watching from afar, what everything this team is about, what this city is about, they have that mentality,” Barkley said. “They want to win. I know that everyone is stuck on last year, but being 11-6 and making it to the first round, and that’s a down year. That’s a great culture that you want to be a part of when you have that mindset.”

After spending 2022 on an expiring rookie contract and playing out last season on the franchise tag, signing a multiyear deal was important for Barkley as well. His contract with the Eagles has a max value of $37.75 million with $26 million guaranteed one year removed from a suppressed running-back market that led to some of the league’s top producers signing modest deals.

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Barkley, who said he has spoken with quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Kenny Gainwell since signing with the Eagles, even used one of Hurts’ coined phrases when explaining the significance of the long-term contract.

“I’m just ready to get the business side off of it,” said Barkley, who will keep the No. 26 with the Eagles. “The last two years I feel like so many people have come up to me about me getting tagged or talking about contracts or leading up to this. Now that’s done. The business side is done and we can keep the main thing the main thing.”

Considering the Eagles’ departure from significantly limiting resources spent at the running-back position to sign Barkley, his value will likely be determined largely by his ability to stay healthy. He missed three games last season with an ankle injury and was sidelined for four games in 2021 with a shoulder stinger.

He’s had 640 touches in the last two years, which ranks fourth in the NFL behind fellow running backs Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Christian McCaffrey.

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Barkley said his previous workload isn’t a concern for him, pointing to Hall of Fame running backs like Barry Sanders and Walter Payton as examples of backs who sustained their production later into their careers.

“I pride myself in the way I take care of my body,” Barkley said. “I pride myself in the way I train, the way I push myself. I’m a big believer in learning from the greats. The Walters, the Barrys, the list goes on and on. I’m not comparing myself to those guys, but a lot of those guys played well into their 30s, so I don’t get into the analytics and all that stuff. I believe that the work that you put in is what you get out and I’m going to continue to have that mindset.”

His versatility as both a physical and elusive runner, along with posing a receiving threat out of the backfield, should bring a new dimension to an Eagles offense that coach Nick Sirianni conceded grew “stale” by the end of last year.

Barkley had 962 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns last season to go along with 41 catches for 280 yards and four receiving touchdowns on a depleted Giants offense over-reliant on him to make things happen. That won’t be the case with the Eagles, something Barkley acknowledged on Thursday.

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“I feel like I’m a special player, I feel like still have a lot left and still have a lot to prove,” Barkley said. “I just can’t wait to get on the field with those guys and prove it, show it to the world.”