Jason Kelce addresses Eagles keeping Saquon Barkley from chasing rushing record

Last week, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made the call to sit running back Saquon Barkley for the club's regular-season finale against the New York Giants even though Barkley was just 101 rushing yards shy of breaking the single-season record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. 

Former Eagles center and franchise icon Jason Kelce understands why Sirianni, his former coach, rested Barkley when Philadelphia was already locked into the No. 2 seed for the NFC portion of the playoffs. Nevertheless, during the latest edition of his "New Heights" podcast, Kelce suggested that he would've let Barkley chase history at Lincoln Financial Field. 

"Did I want Barkley to go for the record? You're god---- right," Kelce said, as Sports Illustrated's Madison Williams shared. "Because it's a f------ rushing record! Why would I not want to watch that happen? But, I think that it's the right move to not play him. ... I do think the rushing title is the coolest record in football. This could've been an all-time storyline, historic moment in the NFL." 

Barkley, who has never played past the divisional round of a postseason tournament, has said on multiple occasions he was "OK" with Sirianni's call because the 27-year-old joined the Eagles as a free agent last offseason "to win a Super Bowl" rather than to break Dickerson's record. Even though Barkley didn't play in Week 18, he finished the regular season leading the league with 2,283 yards from scrimmage.

Kelce retired last offseason as a one-time Super Bowl champion, so he knows about the sacrifices players must make to achieve such a goal. He also understands what leapfrogging Dickerson on the all-time list could have meant regarding Barkley's legacy. 

"Unless you get the record, it's just another great year. You get the record, you're the best. You're the baddest dude on the planet ever to play the game," Kelce added during the show segment. 

Barkley and the Eagles have probably put this matter to bed as they prepare to host the 11-6 Green Bay Packers in a wild-card playoff game this Sunday. That said, the topic could hover over the NFC East side for months if Philadelphia doesn't at least make it to Super Bowl LIX.