Saquon Barkley hints at the possibility of early retirement from NFL

Since getting to the NFL, Saquon Barkley has been one of the most remarkable running backs in the league. Now in the prime of his career, retirement seems a long ways away, but it’s also a thing that the Philadelphia Eagles star has considered.

While recently speaking about his future, Barkley touched on retirement. In particular, he hinted that he’s likely to retire early and make the decision quickly once it’s time to move on.

“I’ll probably be one of those guys that it would be out of nowhere,” Saquon Barkley said. “I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over.'”

Saquon Barkley is coming off a Super Bowl championship season. That was his first season with the Eagles after playing his first six with the New York Giants. With 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, he had one of the greatest seasons all-time for a running back. Barkley finished the year eighth all-time in single-season rushing yards with that campaign.

He was rewarded with an extension with Philadelphia. That extension is for two-year and $41.2 million. In that, $36 million is guaranteed to Barkley. So, if retirement is on his mind, it will likely not be until after that extension runs out, at least.

“I don’t think I will ever lose that passion. That competitive nature is always going to be there,” Barkley added. “But, my favorite player all-time is Barry Sanders. So, probably similar to that. It’ll be out of nowhere. I’ll be balling and just be like, ‘Yeah, call it quits.'”

At this point, Saquon Barkley might also be one of the best-known players in all of the NFL. He’s become such a popular player that he’s appearing on the cover for the next iteration of the Madden video game series. Given that, it would be a major loss to the league, not to mention the Philadelphia Eagles, if he were to wake up and step away from the sport any time soon.

While it would be a surprise for Saquon Barkley to step away from the NFL in his prime, it wouldn’t be unheard of. That’s especially true for a running back. Barry Sanders, who Barkley invoked, would be another back who stepped away when he seemingly had good years remaining. Of course, Sanders never found the team success that Barkley has in Philadelphia. That’s success that Eagles fans have enjoyed and hope to continue to enjoy for as long as possible.