What did Saquon Barkley say after eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards in season?

What did Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley say after eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards this season? Here’s what he said to the media after the 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

On receiving congratulations for reaching 2,000 yards for the season in a game with two backup quarterbacks:

“First, thank you. But we knew that going out with [QB] Kenny [Pickett], and obviously [QB] Tanner [McKee] came into play, that it’s going to take all of us. You can’t be great without the greatness of others. We kept repeating that and saying that this weekend. It held true out there. We leaned on each other, stuck to the game plan, and got things rolling. Most importantly, we got the win.”

On what the 2,000-yard mark means to him:

“I’m not going to lie, but just being a fan of the game and the running back position, to reach a milestone and put myself up there with eight other backs that I respect, and some of them I grew up watching, definitely means a lot. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to do that without this team. Like I said, you can’t be great without the greatness of others, and I’m just happy I was able to be a part of the team and be able to reach a milestone like that.”

On whether he wants a shot at the single-season record:

“The way I look at it, if it’s in God’s plan, then it is. I’m not overly trying to go get it. I’m not scared of it. I would love to, but at the end of the day, also, we’ve got bigger things that we’re focusing on, and we’re able to clinch the division right here, whether we play next week or not. Rest, I’m fine with that too, because I didn’t come here and sign here just to rush for 2,000 or break a record. I want to do something special, meaning special with the team.”

On how he will respond if Head Coach Nick Sirianni asks if he wants to break the single-season record or rest next week:

“I mean, it’s up to [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni], to be honest. And you know, whatever his decision is, I’m all for it. If his mindset is, we’ll go out there and try it, I’ll go out there and try it. But his mindset is, let’s rest and get ready for this run, then I’m all for that too. I’m not just saying that because a camera’s in my face or mics in my face. I really mean that. I came here to do something special, and obviously breaking the record is special. But I want a banner up there. I think we all do. But we gave ourselves a chance with that and clinched the playoffs before and now with the division. And as I said, now it’s up to Nick, and we’ll see where his mindset is.”

On managing his workload this season and how beneficial it would be to rest next week:

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not going to hurt, but at the same time, it’s not like rest. You’ve still got to stay active with your body. It’s just the route that we go. I’m not saying this is what we’re doing, but at the same time, still stay consistent. That’s been my whole message this whole year is being consistent. Rushing for 2,000 yards and the success I’ve had is not an accident. There’s a reason why, and I’m going to continue to stay on that script, continue to stay on that schedule, and stay locked into that mindset, and get ready for whatever comes up next.”

On what it feels like to win the NFC East title:

“It’s cool, I’m not going to downplay it. But like I said, at the end of the day, you’re not getting remembered for being a 2024 NFC East division champ. I’m happy, it’s my first hat and T-shirt game. I didn’t even know that was a thing, to be honest. So, I’m happy to be part of that, and we did it as a team. But we all know what the goal is.”

On what his thoughts were on his rushing performance from the first half to the second half:

“Let’s just say in the pregame, one of my good friends, not going to mention names, said, ‘You’re going to have to break that record next week.’ Everyone is aware of what we’re able to do, what we’re close to doing. So, you could definitely say the mindset was not letting that happen. But with that being said, I think everybody else stepped up and made the plays we needed to do. And once we were able to throw the ball a little bit, we got the run game going. We also didn’t go away from it. They gave me a chance to get the 2,000, and I also appreciate that too.”

On how special the year has been for him:

“It’s been phenomenal. You know, it puts a smile on my face when you’re in free agency or where I was however many months ago, kind of in the dark, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know where you’re going to be. Everything’s kind of up in the air. But after having that conversation with Anna, my family, and my friends, we felt that this would be the best place for me. One thing that we wanted to do also was be part of a great team, but I felt like there was still more that I could do for my legacy and for my name, and accomplishing a milestone like that definitely adds to that.”

On whether it was a goal for him to get to 2,000:

“Yeah, you never go into it with 2,000 on your mind. For me, my 2,000 mindset would be more all-purpose, because that’s how I was used in college and coming into the league, catching the ball a little bit more. But when you’ve got [WR] A.J. Brown and [TE] Dallas Goedert and [TE] Grant [Calcaterra] and [WR DeVonta Smith] Smitty, you really don’t have to catch the ball that much here. You just have to be able to run the rock. But it definitely came a thought when, probably when the conversation started coming around like, ‘Oh, wow. This is something I really can accomplish.’ And the O-line was all about it too, and they wanted to do it.”

On if the team’s plan was to get him to 2,000 yards in his final series:

“I wouldn’t say that, but we definitely knew what the number was to at least get to 2,000, and we weren’t leaving this field without at least accomplishing that. Those aren’t the words from me, those are the words from the guys up front. So that means a lot to me. When you see that, and those guys are like, ‘This mother effer needs this to get it. Let’s go get it,’ it puts a little pressure on you too, but at the same time, it’s pressure that you want.”

On what it means for him to reach 2,000 yards in 16 games:

“I don’t know. It’s great to be able to do it in 16 games, but I don’t really believe in – say if I play next week and break [Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson] ED’s record, which, one, would be phenomenal. But I’m not into like, ‘Oh, if you do it in 17 or 16 games.’ I’m a fan of the position. If that’s the case, then [Hall of Fame RB] O.J. [Simpson] got the record. O.J. did it in 14 games. I know we don’t really speak about that, but in reality, he rushed for 2000 in 14 games. ED, it took him 15 to do it. So if anything, it’s like, why are we even having the conversation? Or if you’re trying to get ED’s record, if that’s the conversation, it should be, you’ve got to do it in 14. The way football is right now, it’s kind of hard to rush for 2,000 yards in 14 games. So, whether it’s 16, whether it’s 17, it’s a feat that you can never take away from what I was able to do with the O-line. And only eight other players did it, so it’s a special moment.”

On what stood out about celebrating the record with his teammates:

“Yeah, I didn’t know I broke it on that run. I’m not going to lie. But it was just special, the fact that going out there, you knew what you needed. And then it’s like, in your mind, you’re like, ‘Alright, damn. I want to get this.’ But then when you look up, and you’re in the huddle, and you got [T] Lane [Johnson] saying, ‘Let’s go get this for this mother effer.’ You’re like, wow. And it just goes to show you that that’s what this team is all about. We all want to see each other shine and thrive, and I can’t do 2,000 yards without those guys up front. And it definitely might hurt my pockets a little bit, but I’m definitely going to make sure I take care of those guys.”

On Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson saying that he doesn’t want Barkley to break his rushing record:“If you had a record, would you want me to break your record? You know what I mean? I don’t look at it that way. I haven’t broken records – I guess I have this year, technically, with the Eagles franchise – but if 10 years from now, or next year, three years, however long when I’m done playing football, if a back is able to beat my Eagles franchise record, or say, if I did break ED’s record, I [would say], ‘Go ahead and get it, it’s fun.’ You want to be that. It’s an honor to have your name attached to that record and having guys chasing it. Guys have been chasing that record for 40 years. So, I don’t see it as a shot. I don’t see it as throwing shade. You shouldn’t want me to break your record. That’s how I look at it.”