Saquon Barkley reveals what motivates him and it goes beyond winning Super Bowls

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley recently opened up about what fuels his drive, and it’s not Super Bowl rings or record-breaking stats.

For Barkley, the motivation runs much deeper.

His fire comes from a desire to be the best running back in the NFL, a goal that pushes him every single day.

“The thing that drives me is the same thing that had been driving me since I was a little kid, and I’ve said it since I’ve gotten into the league (and) I don’t mean it in an arrogant way, (but) I want to be the best running back to ever play, or at least one of the best running backs to ever play,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a way you can prove who’s the best. But that’s always been my motivation. I feel like God’s blessed me with a unique ability, and put me through a lot of adversity, and that’s still going to be my mindset.

“So, the love of the game, wanting to win, and wanting to compete and be great is always going to push me, no matter if we win four Super Bowls.”

Barkley finished the 2024 regular season with 2,005 rushing yards on 345 attempts and 13 rushing touchdowns. He also hauled in 33 receptions for 278 receiving yards and two more scores. Those numbers were enough to earn him the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Additionally, Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to log 2,000-plus rushing yards in a single season and currently holds the eighth-most rushing yards in league history. He was also 101 rushing yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, but the Eagles chose to rest their starter in Week 18 ahead of the playoff run. 

Barkley never specifically set out to rush for over 2,000 yards, but his goals naturally pointed him in that direction. 

"It kind of just happened," Barkley said. "I was able to watch “A Football Life” about Emmitt Smith, and he was big about writing goals. I’m a big believer in setting goals too.

"But for me, I kind of just take care of the little things first, and everything else that I want to accomplish, all the things that you have to accomplish to become great, to create your legacy and become a Hall of Fame player, I just try to take care of that, and the rest will take care of itself."

The hope now is that Barkley can run it back in 2025 by staying locked in on the same goal.

"I think that would be pretty cool," Barkley said of rushing for 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.