Saquon Barkley saw a clip of Barry Sanders on NFL Films when he was a kid that left a lasting impression.It wasn’t Sanders juking half the defense on one of his dynamic touchdown runs. Instead, the Hall of Fame running back who inspired a generation of running backs with his sensational, elusive, shifty style was walking up and down the sideline handing out refreshments to his teammates.“They were talking about how great of a player he was but they had a clip of him holding Gatorade cups and he’s walking down,” Barkley said on the AP’s “On Football” podcast. “He is going to his teammates and just the way that he carried himself. So I would say I have to give my flowers to him there.”Barkley joined Sanders as one of nine players to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in 2024 when he was the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl.
AP AUDIO: Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was inspired by Barry Sanders serving his teammates
Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley kicks off a new season of On Football with Rob Maaddi with a conversation Inside The Huddle. ESPN’s Field Yates joins us for our new segment Fantasy Focus. We take a look around the league and have a Final Word on Baker Mayfield’s contract situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
