Former Eagles RB D'Andre Swift 'excited' to see Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia

Former Philadelphia Eagles and current Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift spoke at a youth football camp he was hosting on Tuesday about the club essentially replacing him with former New York Giants ball-carrier Saquon Barkley this offseason.

"I wish everybody the best, and I want to see everybody succeed," Swift said about the situation, as shared by Chris Franklin of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I’m excited to see what he does."

According to ESPN stats, Swift led the 2023 Eagles with 229 carries and 1,049 rushing yards. He also contributed five rushing touchdowns to go along with 39 receptions for 214 yards and an additional score.

Philadelphia nevertheless let Swift reach free agency and he signed a three-year, $24.5M deal with $15.3M guaranteed to join the Chicago Bears in March. Meanwhile, the Eagles inked Barkley to a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed.

"It was all a part of God’s plan," Swift, a Philadelphia native, said about the offseason's developments. "That’s how I look at everything. It was amazing to be home for a year now, but now I’m on to different things."

Swift experienced quite a unique year with the Eagles. While he enjoyed what was arguably the best season of his pro career, he was also part of a squad that fell to second place in the division standings after it slid from 10-1 to 11-6 as the season wore on. He ultimately couldn't prevent Philadelphia from suffering a humiliating 32-9 wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.

"I learned about my attitude, mentality, how I approach going into work every day, being a pro and just getting better every year," Swift said about his brief Eagles tenure. "That’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve been in the league, just improving every year."

Swift went from featuring for an advertised Super Bowl contender this past fall to playing for a Bears side that is preparing rookie quarterback and first overall draft pick Caleb Williams to serve as a Week 1 starter. As of late Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bears at -120 betting odds to make the playoffs for the upcoming season.