Saquon Barkley 'what-if' scenario would have been disastrous for Eagles in 2024

Imagine a world where the Philadelphia Eagles were not able to sign a star running back Saquon Barkley. It is most likely that there will be no Super Bowl for the Eagles in 2024.

Thankfully, Barkley did sign with the Eagles, but would there have been a scenario where he goes elsewhere? FOX Sports NFL reporter Henry McKenna believes that there might have been if former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had never been fired.

McKenna wrote an article on everything that could have happened in 2024 if Belichick were still running the Patriots. One of those would have been Belichick making a hard push to sign Barkley in the backfield.

"After Barkley left the Giants for the Eagles, Belichick expressed his disbelief that New York had even let him hit free agency. 'He was their best player,' Belichick told 'The Pat McAfee Show.' I suspect Belichick would've done everything he could have to get Barkley into the Patriots' Red, White and Blue. It's hard to imagine Barkley picking the Patriots over the Eagles, but I think Belichick could have made it a really tough choice for the star running back. And if not Barkley, what about Derrick Henry? That 2024 free-agent running back class was loaded, and I could see the Patriots bringing in a big name at the RB position."

Would that have happened, and what would the Eagles have done without Barkley?

Would Barkley pass up a chance to play in Philadelphia to work under Belichick? It seemed unlikely, especially with a quarterback situation that was non-existent until the team went to the draft to make a move and questionable big free agent signings in 2023 that didn't pan out.

The Eagles were in a much better position to succeed despite the awful end to the 2023 season, with six of the last seven games being losses. Philadelphia had all the pieces in place and was willing to pay Barkley top dollar despite having some durability concerns entering the 2024 offseason.

Hypothetically, if Barkley had stunned everyone and gone to New England, Philly's options would have been limited. They could have gone for Josh Jacobs, but his contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2024 was more expensive than Barkley's. D'Andre Swift might have come back on a new deal after a 1,000-yard season in 2023 with the Eagles.

The only other options would have been in the NFL Draft, and the 2024 class of running backs was not strong. Philadelphia did pick Will Shipley from that draft and looks to have a promising future, but not at a starter level right now.

In other words, 2024 might have been okay for the Eagles, but it wouldn't have been nearly as good as the reality of the season. Former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore would have been less likely to abandon the pass after the bye week and continue to sling it with Jalen Hurts. A division title might not have happened, and the Eagles could have sneaked into the postseason.

Eagles fans can count their blessings that Barkley signed with Philadelphia to break NFL records with 2,504 rushing yards, win Offensive Player of the Year, and win the Super Bowl. It turned out a lot better than what the alternative could have been.