The Eagles hit a jackpot when they decided to bring Barkley over to Philadelphia this offseason. Barkley never had a quality offensive line when he played for the New York Giants. Meanwhile, the Eagles boasted one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. So, when Barkley entered free agency, Philadelphia represented a tantalizing destination. And he fit like a glove in Philly’s offensive hand.
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Now, 10 months later, a former Offensive Rookie of the Year believes Barkley’s signing with the Eagles is the “best free agent acquisition” in NFL history.
On Monday’s episode of Up & Adams, Griffin was initially non-committal on giving Barkley the top spot over the Tom Brady-Tampa Bay Buccaneers marriage, but eventually chose Barkley. His justification stems from the perceived lack of recognition and respect the New York Giants gave Barkley after six years in The Big Apple.
“The reason Saquon’s is better than Tom’s is what happened with the Giants… Saquon is a player people can see themselves in… all of us can feel and see ourselves in someone who wasn’t appreciated where they were… but then you go somewhere else, and you are appreciated… and they allow you to be the best version of yourself.”
Barkley certainly was the best version of himself with Philadelphia in 2024. He ran for a career-high 2,005 yards in the regular season and has already set multiple postseason records as an Eagle.
Now, he’s the last man standing between the Kansas City Chiefs and their third consecutive Super Bowl win.
While RGIII’s description of Saquon Barkley’s magic was more down-to-earth, Kay Adams ventured to a galaxy far, far away to describe how she views the Eagles’ star RB.
Kay Adams compares Saquon Barkley to a Jedi Master
Based on Adams’ analogy, Patrick Mahomes is Darth Vader. Andy Reid (and Steve Spagnuolo) are Emperor Palpatine. Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith are Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia. Luke Skywalker jumps out as the connection to Barkley, but Adams went in another direction.
“I feel like Saquon Barkley is Obi-Wan Kenobi… he is the only hope that everybody can rally around. It has to be him. As good as Jalen [Hurts] is… this is on Saquon, and he knows it.”
We’ll forgive Adams for favoring Kenobi over Skywalker; she obviously was well-intentioned. And overall, her analogy is sound.
Philadelphia’s offense is littered with superstar-type talents. Hurts, Brown and Smith are all, with good reason, among the highest-paid players at their respective positions.
They all make more money on a per-year basis than Barkley. However, he’s the Eagle who has become the face of the franchise following Jason Kelce’s retirement.
In Star Wars, it takes all four notable personalities – plus a village of Ewoks – to defeat the Empire. Philadelphia will have to play its most complete game of the season to take down Kansas City.
But if their superstar rusher doesn’t rise to the occasion, the Chiefs’ reign over the NFL will live on. As Adams mentioned, the bulk of the league’s fanbases are counting on him saving them from just that.
