PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley is a historian of the NFL, a player who studies the game’s past while trying to rewrite that history and etch his own name in the record books. Barkley certainly made history last season, having one of the greatest seasons the NFL has ever seen by any player.
Barkley had the ninth 2,000-yard season in NFL history, amassing 2,006 yards in 16 games. He sat out the season finale just 99 yards away from the single-season rushing record. Barkley was just getting started, too, as he had a postseason for the ages during which he rushed for 499 yards. By the time the Eagles had won the Super Bowl, Barkley was the new single-season record holder with 2,504 rushing yards between the regular season and the playoffs. Barkley also finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage, the most ever in a season in league history (including postseason).
No player in history has ever rushed for 2,000 yards in a season twice. Does Barkley think he can rewrite history again?
“It’s hard to do it in general,” Barkley said Wednesday from training camp. “You know, there’s only nine of us that’s ever done it. I got to sign a helmet the other day, it was every 2,000-yard rusher.
“It’s so hard to do it twice because it’s hard to do it the first time. It’s a crazy thing that I’m even mentioned with those guys. For me, 2,000 yards is not the goal. It’s winning Super Bowls and going out there and performing at a high level.”
Barkley will certainly try to repeat his impressive feat, but he also knows history isn’t on his side. None of the eight players who have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season repeated the feat in the following season — nor reached the 2,000-yard mark again.
Getting to 2,000 rushing yards in a season is an impressive accomplishment. Repeating the feat has never been done before, making these historic seasons even more telling of the wear and tear they have on a running back.
How 2,000-yard rushers fared the following season
Eric Dickerson | 2,105 (1984) | 1,234 (1985) — 14 games |
2,097 (2012) | 1,266 (2013) — 14 games | |
Jamal Lewis | 2,066 (2003) | 1,006 (2004) — 12 games |
Barry Sanders | 2,053 (1997) | 1,491 (1998) — 16 games |
| Derrick Henry | 2,027 (2020) | 937 (2021) — 8 games |
Terrell Davis | 2,008 (1998) | 211 (1999) — 4 games |
2,006 (2009) | 1,364 (2010) — 16 games | |
O.J. Simpson | 2,003 (1973)* | 1,125 (1974) — 14 games* |
*14-game season
Of the eight members of the 2,000-yard club, only Henry has gotten close to getting 2,000 yards again. That was this past season, in which Henry finished with 1,921 rushing yards in his first campaign with the Baltimore Ravens. Henry also led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns, his seventh straight season with double-digit rushing touchdowns. Keep in mind Henry was 30 years old and accomplished all of this. So there is hope for Barkley to amass 2,000 yards rushing in a season again in the future.
Barkley admitted he didn’t talk to Henry or any 2,000-yard rusher about taking care of his body in the season that followed.
“I kinda got a great team here, whether it’s my team or within the organization or who I talk to outside this building,” Barkley said. “I’ll follow the game plan they mapped out for me this offseason and continue to follow that throughout the season.”
Sanders has the most rushing yards in a season after a 2,000-yard season, rushing for 1,491 yards in 1998 at the age of 30. The 93.2 yards rushing per game were the lowest in a season for Sanders since 1992, yet he still had a productive season. There is a drop-off in production after a 2,000-yard season for many of these backs — which is expected given the number of carries they had during their 2,000-yard campaigns.
Carries in 2,000-yard season and following season
Eric Dickerson | 379 | 292 (14 games) |
Adrian Peterson | 348 | 279 (14 games) |
Jamal Lewis | 387 | 235 (12 games) |
Barry Sanders | 335 | 343 (16 games) |
Derrick Henry | 378 | 219 (8 games) |
Terrell Davis | 392 | 67 (4 games) |
Chris Johnson | 358 | 316 (16 games) |
O.J. Simpson | 332 | 270 (14 games*) |
*14-game season
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Outside of Johnson and Sanders in the 16-game season, no player who has rushed for 2,000 yards played every regular-season game the following season. History certainly isn’t on Barkley’s side in terms of playing all 17 games in 2025 (Barkley sat out the last game in the 2024 regular season when the Eagles had everything clinched). Age isn’t in Barkley’s favor either when it comes to repeating a 2,000-yard season.
At 27 years old, Barkley is the second-oldest player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Sanders is the oldest player to have a 2,000-yard season (29), and he retired one year after his historic campaign. Adrian Peterson was 27 when he had his 2,000-yard season, but the most rushing yards he had in a season after that was 1,485 (at the age of 30). Peterson ended up playing until he was 36.
Dickerson rushed for 1,821 yards at the age of 26 and 1,659 yards at the age of 28, but his 2,000-yard campaign came early in his career and he ended up playing until he was 33. O.J. Simpson had 1,817 yards at the age of 28 in a 14-game season and he played until the age of 32.
While it’s possible for Barkley to amass 2,000 yards rushing again in a 17-game season, age and injuries could play a factor. The 345 carries Barkley had in 2024 (not counting postseason) are the most in his career and he’s only played 15-plus games in a regular season three times in his career.
Running behind the Eagles offensive line will help, but averaging around 21.6 carries per game again (his 2024 average) in a 17-game season seems like a tall task. Perhaps Barkley can get 2,000 yards rushing in a season again, but it may not be in 2025.
That’s not the goal for Barkley anyway. Things will take care of itself if it happens.
“I didn’t come out here with the mindset of rushing for 2,000 yards. It kind of just happened,” Barkley said. “It’s just staying in the moment, taking care of the little things, staying consistent with my process. Being obsessive with my process. Making sure nothing is non-negotiable.
“If it’s in the cards, it is. If it’s not, it’s not.”
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Author: Jeff Kerr
July 24, 2025 | 9:30 am
