Saquon Barkley's stunning admission creates questions surrounding his future

The past year as a Philadelphia Eagle has to be one of the best years of Saquon Barkley's life.

Barkley's 2024 season included breaking an NFL record with 2,504 rushing yards in a single season, winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year award, winning the Super Bowl, earning a contract extension, and being named to the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 26 game. To say it was a wildly successful season may not be enough to describe Barkley's performance.

It certainly has made Eagles fans excited to watch one of the NFL's best running backs on the field. The reality is this won't last forever, but could it be closer to the end than fans think?

Barkley shares his future outlook on a podcast and it's not what fans expected

The latest episode of former Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long's podcast, Green Light with Chris Long, had him interview Barkley for roughly 43 minutes. At the end of the interview, Long asked Barkley about his future and when he would hang up his cleats. Eagles fans will want him to keep those laces tightened after his surprising response.

"I'll probably be one of those guys that it'll be 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,'" Barkley said via CBS Sports. "I don't think I will ever lose that passion. I'm just a competitor. ... The competitive nature is always going to be there."

That part makes sense as it really could be any time for him. Most likely, it's more down the road for the 28-year-old running back. It was his next comment that tells more of his thought process as Barkley wants to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

"One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that," Barkley added via CBS Sports. "Maybe one day it will be out of nowhere. I'll probably be ballin' and just be like, 'Yeah' and call it quits."

Barkley has only played in seven seasons, but the timeline of a running back in the NFL can be shorter than other positions. The common rule of thumb is once a running back hits 30, that's when regression comes in their production and their careers are as good as done.

Sanders retired at the top of his game with the Detroit Lions at 31 despite only being under 1,500 yards from breaking the NFL record for career rushing yards. At the time, it was one of the most surprising retirement announcements ever.

In today's era, more NFL players are retiring at an increasingly younger age. This week alone, the NFL has seen Lions Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow retire at the age of 29.

Players' health is so important, especially with head injuries being more prevalent to study. Barkley knows about injuries all too well when he tore his ACL in 2020 with the New York Giants, which cost him all but two games.

This is one of those moments where fans can understand where he's coming from, as the old saying goes: "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." What a journey Barkley has taken Eagles fans on so far.