Eagles’ Saquon Barkley named AP offensive player of the year; finishes third in MVP voting
Barkley did not win the MVP, but eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark earned him the offensive player of the year award.
NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley was named offensive player of the year by the Associated Press on Thursday, further cementing his first season with the Eagles into NFL history.
The 27-year-old was announced as the winner at NFL Honors, but wasn’t in attendance as the Eagles prepare for Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The other award finalists finishing behind Barkley in the voting were Lamar Jackson, Ja’Marr Chase, Derrick Henry, and Joe Burrow. Barkley received 35 first-place votes to Jackson’s 12.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be selected the player of the year,” Barkley said in a recorded video message. “I would like to give thanks to God first. Without Him, none of this would be possible. I’d like to give thanks to my family, my fiancée, my children, my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters. Thank you guys so much for the love and support throughout this journey. I would like to thank the fans of Philadelphia for showing so much love to me and my family, especially being a newcomer. And last but not least, I would like to thank my teammates and coaches. ‘You can’t be great without the greatness of others’ is one of my favorite quotes, and you definitely can’t accomplish awards like this without the big boys up front.”
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Barkley became just the ninth running back in league history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in the regular season and will need just 30 yards on Sunday to break Terrell Davis’ record for most rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs combined.
His 2,005 yards in the regular season were the most in Eagles history and put him within reach of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105), but coach Nick Sirianni elected to rest the majority of the team’s starters for the regular-season finale with the group’s playoff seeding already determined.
Barkley seemingly benefited from the time off, going for over 100 yards in each of the Eagles’ postseason games and pulling off a signature performance in a divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Rams. As a heavy snowfall descended upon Lincoln Financial Field, Barkley broke off multiple explosive rushes en route to a 205-yard, two-touchdown performance.
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After Barkley went for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders, Sirianni said Barkley would be his obvious choice for MVP.
“They don’t give me a vote for MVP, but I know who my vote would [be,]” Sirianni said. “That’s probably why they don’t give me a vote, because I would vote for Saquon.”
Barkley was a finalist for the AP’s Most Valuable Player award, which went to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to mark the 12th consecutive season the honor has gone to a quarterback. Allen and Jackson were the top two in the final voting tallies, while Barkley finished third and received one second-place vote.
In the regular season, Barkley had his share of signature moments as well while serving as the steadying force for the Eagles offense. He had a career-high 302 yards from scrimmage in Week 12 against the Rams and pulled off a backward hurdle in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars that left his teammates and the greater public awestruck.
By December, Eagles guard Landon Dickerson hung framed photos of Barkley on the back wall of the team’s locker room along with athletic tape underneath with the words “THE CHOSEN ONE” and “OUR SAVIOR” written on them.
Barkley also had 176 rushing yards on just 17 carries against the New York Giants, exacting revenge on his former team after a fruitless, multi-season contract negotiation led to him hitting free agency last offseason and signing a three-year, $37.75 million contract.
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The Eagles also had award finalists Zack Baun finish fifth in the voting for defensive player of the year that went to Patrick Surtain II, and Quinyon Mitchell finished second to Jared Verse for defensive rookie of the year.