Philly Leader

Saquon Barkley has been honored with the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors ceremony held in New Orleans. Barkley, who chose to focus on preparing for Super Bowl LIX rather than attend in person, is the first player from the Eagles to win this accolade.

In a pre-recorded statement, Barkley expressed his gratitude: "It's an honor and privilege to be selected the (Offensive) Player of the Year," he said. He extended thanks to his family, teammates, coaches, and fans. "You can't be great without the greatness of others," he noted.

Barkley's achievements this season include surpassing 2,000 rushing yards in a single season—a milestone reached by only nine players in NFL history—and setting a franchise record with 2,005 rushing yards. He also led the league with 2,283 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 touchdowns.

His performances earned him four NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards during the regular season. Notably, he set a franchise single-game rushing record with 255 yards against the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley's second-half performance was particularly strong; his 1,245 rushing yards were unmatched since at least 1991.

Teammates praised Barkley's contributions both on and off the field. A.J. Brown called him "the best (football player) in the world" while Dallas Goedert lauded his qualities as both a player and person: "As great as a football player he is, he's an even better person."

The head coach of Eagles emphasized Barkley's leadership and work ethic: "He's an awesome teammate... Those are things that make him very special," Head Coach Nick Sirianni remarked.

Despite being based on regular-season performance only, Barkley's postseason stats have been impressive too. With potential records still within reach in Super Bowl LIX, his remarkable season continues to draw attention across football circles.