At his press availability during Eagles spring camps, running back Saquon Barkley shared his desire to be the greatest running back of all time.
After producing one of the greatest seasons by a running back in NFL history last year, Barkley will battle some major historical odds in his pursuit of consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons, along with 2,200 yards from scrimmage in back to back seasons. The first of those has never been accomplished, the latter hasn’t been accomplished in more than two decades.
To get yards, Barkley needs lots of carries and touches, but duplicating last year's marks of 345 carries and 378 total touches will also be difficult, history has shown.
Last year, Barkley became just the ninth running back in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark as he finished with 2,005 yards – 100 shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season record in 1984 with the Colts. It was somewhat controversial when the Eagles decided to rest Barkley in the season finale instead of having him chase Dickerson’s record, but the Super Bowl win drowned out that noise quickly.
How hard will it be for Barkley to reach 2,000 rushing yards in 2025? Consider that not only were none of the other eight able to reproduce that mark the following season, but none were able to ever do it again. Some of them didn't come close. In fact, no running back has even hit 2,000 rushing yards more than once.
With help from profootballreference.com's Player Season Finder, here's a look at how those other running backs performed the year after their 2,000-yard season, and the second-highest season rushing total for each.
| RB | Most Rushing Yards | Season | Next Season Total/Difference | Second-Highest Total/Season |
| Eric Dickerson | 2,105 | 1984 | 1,234 (-871) | 1,821 (1986) |
| Adrian Peterson | 2,097 | 2012 | 1,266 (-831) | 1,760 (2008) |
| Jamal Lewis | 2,066 | 2003 | 1,006 (-1,060) | 1,364 (2000) |
| Barry Sanders | 2,053 | 1997 | 1,491 (-562) | 1,883 (1994) |
| Derrick Henry | 2,027 | 2020 | 937 (-1,090) | 1,921 (2024) |
| Terrell Davis | 2,008 | 1998 | 211 (-1,797) | 1,750 (1997) |
| Chris Johnson | 2,006 | 2009 | 1,364 (-642) | 1,364 (2010) |
| Saquon Barkley | 2,005 | 2024 | TBD | TBD |
| O.J. Simpson | 2,003 | 1973 | 1,125 (-878) | 1,817 (1975) |
What really stands out is that none of those eight RBs even made it to 1,500 rushing yards the next season and two didn't even get 1,000 yards. Of the eight, only Barry Sanders went over 1,400 yards in the follow-up season to his 2,000-yard rushing season.
Also a troubling sign for Barkley: Four of those eight RBs had the second-highest rushing total of their careers before their 2,000-yard rushing season, showing the difficulty in having another banner season after a 2,000-yard season, although Derrick Henry managed 1,921 rushing yards four seasons after his 2,000-yard season and O.J. Simpson cracked the 1,800-yard barrier two years after.
Barkley has already cracked 1,300 rushing yards two other times in his career. Can he be just the third NFL running back to follow up a 2,000-yard season with at least 1,300 rushing yards?
In the same vein, Barkley is one of the league's best multidimensional halfbacks, as he has accrued 2,378 career receiving yards. His 278 receiving yards last year pushed his yards from scrimmage to 2,283 – his second season of at least 2,000 yards from scrimmage and first since his rookie year.
For Barkley to reach 2,200 yards from scrimmage in 2025, he'd have to battle another historical odd, although back-to-back seasons of 2,200 yards from scrimmage seasons have at least been accomplished before in league history, just not in the past 25 years. With help again from Pro Football Reference, the last two running back to achieve 2,200 yards from scrimmage in consecutive seasons was Marshall Faulk in 1998 and 1999.
To rack up at least 2,000 rushing yards and 2,200 yards from scrimmage requires a heavy workload. Barkley's 378 touches in 2024 were the most of his career, 26 more than his previous high in 2022 with the Giants. If he gets another 375 touches in 2025, Barkley would become the first NFL player since St. Louis Rams running back Stephen Jackson in 2009 and 2010 – yes, the Rams played in St. Louis then – to have consecutive seasons of at least 375 touches.
In his press conference, Barkley said he consulted several former players, coaches and trainers – including all-time great RBs such as Faulk and Edgerrin James – to get advice on how to best prepare for the season ahead.
He also told the media: "I feel like I'm entering my prime."
If he can reach 2,000 rushing yards again in 2025 – or even come close – he'll be another step closer to eventually entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters.
Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
