“He’s the unanimous best player in the draft. It’s like he was touched by the hand of God, frankly.” That’s what then-Giants GM Dave Gettleman said about Saquon Barkley in 2018. And back then, no one in league circles argued. Barkley lived up to the billing, too: Offensive Rookie of the Year, All-Pro, and, six years later, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. But now, years later, Barkley’s perspective has shifted. Still explosive. But also seasoned enough to recognize echoes of his own rise in someone else.
Flying high with the Eagles, Barkley sees a little bit of himself in Bijan Robinson with his patience, the burst, the vision. Their connection is more than one of common position or hype. Both were top-10 picks, both entered the league with sky-high expectations, and now, watching him climb, he isn’t just competing anymore; instead, he’s also seeing the next wave with his own two eyes, just like how he has been till now.
At the NFL Top 100 Countdown, when asked a familiar question: Who’s the best running back in the NFL besides himself, he didn’t hesitate. And his answer says more than just a name. No build-up, no qualifiers, and just straight-up admiration. “There’s nobody who’s able to cut like Bijan in the NFL. There’s not,” Barkley said with complete conviction in the interview, via NFL. “You can go argue with your mom about that, I’ll be honest,” he added.
Barkley’s been on the Bijan train for a while now. During Super Bowl LVIII media day, when asked to name his top three running backs (excluding himself), he didn’t go the obvious route. Instead, he selected Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, and, you guessed it: Bijan Robinson. That’s how high he always keeps him in his good graces. Even in his great rookie season with 976 rushing yards and 487 receiving yards with four touchdowns, Bijan still had more to give. He did even better in his second year, catching 61 passes and proving he’s one of the best dual-threat running backs in the league.
This reciprocal admiration is like the NFL’s long-distance version of a bromance. Bijan, the Falcons’ electric RB1, is around five years younger than Saquon Barkley, but they share a bond grounded at its most elite level. Saquon tends to see himself in the way he moves, specifically his elite cuts, wild agility, and that rare knack for catching passes in open space. When you look at his numbers from a year ago, you can tell why Saquon has so much faith in Bijan. Though Saquon only had just over 200 yards in 2024, Bijan finished the year with over 1,400 yards and demonstrated that he’s getting closer to Saquon’s level.
Yes, they play in opposite conferences, and for teams that probably won’t square off too often. But when two elite athletes publicly acknowledge each other, the whole game gets better. It’s iron sharpening iron, even if that iron belongs to an opposing jersey.
Not only is Saquon Barkley watching the greatness, but he’s also chasing it
But let’s get one thing straight: Saquon’s not just paying out compliments and calling it a day. He still has something to prove. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year is on a quest for another 2,000-yard season. That is not so much a modest goal as a moonshot. Barkley already got over that mountain a mile back in 2024, when he set the record for an NFL season with the Giants: 2,000 yards, without throwbacks. But 2000 yards, again, a year later?
As per a report from CBS Sports, only a few running backs have ever broken the 2000-yard barrier on more than one occasion in their career. Even fewer have accomplished it after changing teams. The obstacle he is up against is more than physical, of course, more than geological; it’s historical. And he knows it.
Barkley isn’t just talking. A first-year Eagle and a seventh-year league veteran, he’s served as a reminder of why he remains a force. He had 167 yards against his former team, the Giants, in a blowout victory, which took him beyond 2,000 yards for the season, with a game left to play. With his 5.81 YPC rate being an offensive explosion, not to mention 33 catches for 278 yards, he stands at 2,283 scrimmage yards, which was the fifth most of any 2000 back this season.
Not to mention how nonchalantly Saquon Barkley threw out Bijan’s name as the best RB in the game (besides himself, of course), which tells you all you need to know about his self-awareness and confident mental state. He does not hesitate to lift others as he battles to get back to the elite ruling class of the NFL. history. In addition to recognizing the greatness of other players like Bijan, now it’s time for him to make his greatness, that energy for a second 2,000-yard masterpiece. If he does it, he’ll not only make NFL history, but he’ll also secure his spot as the RB comeback story of the decade.
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