Best free agent ever? The story behind Barkley’s stunning season

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In the NFL, free agent signings frequently make unrealistic promises. Running backs for free agency has always been a huge gamble and frequently a big mistake.
With one of the best seasons in NFL history, Saquon Barkley has established himself as the biggest and best break from those prevailing business tenets.
When his Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday, he has the chance to wrap it up with a Super Bowl victory.
Since he has been probably the biggest x-factor in the entire NFL, Barkley’s brilliance this season has also sunk the notion that running backs were disposable, merely system benefits, and easily replaceable.
The New York Giants allowed him to leave last summer in free agency and join their big-time rival, the Eagles, with the exception of a few minor injuries and some significant financial issues.
What followed was an MVP-calibre season filled with highlight-reel runs, records smashed and a career year that will culminate on Sunday.
The stats behind Barkley’s sensational season
After six seasons in New York, the former second overall draft pick joined the Eagles on a three-year, $38m (£30.6m) deal.
The Eagles’ first regular-season game was against Brazil in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers’ biggest concern was Barkley’s worth.
On his Eagles debut, he had 132 total yards and three touchdowns. Question answered – emphatically.
The Giants were only spared the humiliation of their former star breaking Eric Dickerson’s long-standing rushing record against them as he was rested for the final game of the season as he only managed to get 2, 000 yards in a season.
With a further 278 receiving yards and two scores, he added a further 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns when he led the play-offs. He finished the regular season with 2, 005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
In the Super Bowl, Barkley will undoubtedly set new records. With 2, 447 he needs 30 rushing yards to surpass the great Terrell Davis for the most in a season, including the play-offs, and at 2, 760 total yards he’s just two behind Davis ‘ current benchmark.
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What makes Barkley so great?
The overall numbers are incredibly impressive, but Barkley’s unique threat and its timing make him a valuable asset.
With his freakish blend of strength and speed, Barkley can break off an explosive long run at any time. They call him a “home run hitter.”
This season, he has a total of three touchdown runs of 60 yards or more, three more than anyone else has ever managed in a single campaign.

In the fourth quarter, he added his hat-trick with his first touchdown of the NFC Championship against Washington. In the Los Angeles Rams’ first and fourth quarters, he scored.
Barkley scored highlight-reel touchdowns from 60, 62 and 78 yards, but also added two from four yards out as his lateral quickness adds yet another weapon to his rushing arsenal.
What caused the Giants to fire Barkley?
In short, money. Due to the team’s $ 160 million (£129 million) contract with quarterback Daniel Jones, Giants general manager Joe Schoen famously refused to pay what Barkley was asking.
Instead, Schoen wanted to spend the salary cap budget on protecting Jones. Unfortunately, Schoen was deciding to move forward while the TV crews were filming the well-known documentary series Hard Knocks.
“Daniel is making a lot of money”, Schoen now infamously said. “We’ve got to figure out if he’s the guy. So, we’ve got to protect him, we’ve got to put resources there.
” You’re paying the guy $40m. It’s not to hand the ball off to a $12m back. “
Barkley joined their divisional rivals after this transpired in public, and he is now on the verge of winning the Super Bowl and a whole new year.
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The running back’s return, perhaps?
The third-highest salary for a current running back, $12.6 million (£10.2 million), was given to Barkley without any hesitation by Philadelphia’s general manager Howie Roseman, who had no hesitation in handing him the deal.
” It was not a hard trigger to pull, “said Roseman”. I’d like to say he’s exceeded expectations, but he’s always been one of the best players I’ve ever seen.
“So I’m really not surprised by any of this, and I don’t say that in an arrogant way, it’s based on who he is, nothing to do with me, because this is who he’s always been. And I’m happy that everyone notices that.
Does Derrick Henry’s record as a free agent running back mean more other players will follow suit? Derrick Henry signed for the Baltimore Ravens for a record-breaking season.
When Henry and Barkley retire, they will have generations of talents, and Barkley may become one of them.
Running backs are seen as interchangeable because many people think they can only be as good as the team around them if their offensive line makes room for them to run.
Although the Eagles have one of the best defenses in the league, Barkley has shown that he has talent for playing on a team that can showcase it best. He has shown that Barkley has talent for the best and that he finds them where there aren’t.
Running backs may not suddenly become the preferred free agent signing, but Barkley was right to be paid, and he could provide that one magical moment in New Orleans on Sunday.
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Source: BBC
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