If running back Saquon Barkley continued playing during the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 28-3 win over the New York Giants on Sunday, his teammates and coaches would have supported him.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pulled his offensive starters out of the game and put in backups. Before taking his starters off the field, Sirianni told Barkley that he could stay in the game to break his single-game rushing record of 189 yards that he set in 2019 against Washington.
Barkley needed 14 more yards to surpass that number, but he politely declined.
“I’d rather see the young boys eat,” Barkley said to Sirianni.
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Will Shipley, drafted in the fourth round in 2024, was one of the “young boys,” and said Barkley’s decision “meant the world to him” but did not come as a surprise. During the first seven months of his pro career, he has looked up to Barkley as a mentor and has learned a lot from him.
“I’m so grateful for (Saquon) and who he is as a person and who he is as a leader,” Shipley told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday. “He’s selfless. He knows that he’s going to have another opportunity to shatter that record. My first carries in the NFL don’t come without him. I’ll forever be grateful for that scenario.”
Barkley, who signed a three-year deal with the Eagles in March, has become one of the team’s top leaders. He has helped many young players, including Shipley, adjust to the NFL.
After practices, Shipley works on pass protection with Barkley. He said he appreciates everything Barkley has done for him, including buying him gloves and hats. Barkley has taught Shipley important lessons off the field, too.
“You get a lot of notoriety (in the NFL),” Shipley said. “People maybe know your name or your face a little bit, especially when you’re in his position. Just hearing about his experiences, what he’s gone through, whatever he is willing to share and just always keeping open ears to that and being able to learn from it. Hopefully, I can be in his shoes heading into year seven and help a rookie out like he’s helped me.”
During his six-year tenure with the Giants, Barkley made two Pro Bowls and won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. This season, Barkley proved that he’s still one of the best running backs in the league, amassing the third-most rushing yards (658) through seven weeks. He wanted to be a “Giant for life,” but the two sides couldn’t agree on a long-term extension.
Barkley finished with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown in his first game against the Giants.
Eagles center Nick Gates, who played five years with Barkley on the Giants, noted that Barkley put aside his personal feelings to help his teammates at the end of the Giants’ game.
“We’ve had plenty of moments in New York, but that was probably my favorite thing I’ve seen him do and heard him say,” Gates said. “That’s awesome. I get the chills thinking about it. But for him to decide, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,’ especially against his old team who kind of screwed him and didn’t really want him. He could have definitely done it. But that’s just him showing his leadership.”
In the Eagles’ Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns, rookie wide receiver Johnny Wilson said Barkley took some plays off to make sure his other teammates were able to play.
“He’s not tired. It’s like, ‘OK, let’s give Saquon a break.’ But he could stay in if he wanted to,” Wilson said. “But at the end of day, he is selfless. He’s like, ‘OK, let Kenny (Gainwell) get in there and get his plays.’ … He’s just a great player. He knows it, too. So it’s like, ‘Let me help the young guys shine a little bit.’”
Barkley has taken on a bigger leadership role each week, his teammates say.
“I would say he has gotten a lot better at being a vocal leader as well,” Shipley said. “He’s stepping up where he needs to be. He’s kind of feeling that out. He’s done a great job of helping us get where we need to go.
“Anytime a situation comes up. If things aren’t going our way or we’re not playing to our standard at practice, he’ll come up and say something, whether it’s just to me, to the running back room, to the whole offense and the whole team. At the end of day, he’s a great leader. He knows when to insert himself and when to not overexert himself. That is what makes him so special, too.”
