Saquon Barkley explains what has to happen for NFL retirement: “Whether it’s next year”

There aren’t many players in NFL history who switched teams and had a historic first season with their new squad. Saquon Barkley is certainly one of those. The running back left the New York Giants after six seasons to join division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. In his first season with the team, he joined the 2,000 rushing yards club and won the Super Bowl.

After a somewhat disappointing season in 2023 with New York, some analysts wondered how much Barkley had left in the tank. Despite being just 27 years old, Barkley had miles on his tires and had dealt with a multitude of injuries. Barkley showed he’s in his prime in 2024, and he’s set up for another monster season in 2025. Barkley’s heart is still in it, of course, but how long will that last?

Saquon Barkley says he could retire within the next year or two

While appearing on the Green Light Podcast, former NFL player Chris Long asked Barkley if he would retire if he’s still performing at a high level. Barkley’s answer stunned some fans.

I’ll probably be one of those guys that it’ll be out of nowhere. 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’. One of my favorite players of all time, probably my favorite player of all time, is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that. Maybe one day it’ll be out of nowhere. I’ll probably be ballin’ and just be like, yeah, call it quits.

Barry Sanders stunned the whole NFL world when he retired in 1999. The legendary running back was coming off of a season in which he totaled 1,780 yards from scrimmage. Sanders’ heart just wasn’t in it anymore after five straight seasons of 300+ touches. Sanders was 31 at the time of his retirement.

Barkley is 28 right now, so if he follows in Sanders’ footsteps completely, Barkley would be hanging his cleats up following the 2027 season. But as Barkley himself put it, it could come at any moment. That may not be what the Eagles want to hear, but it would be a surprise to see Barkley call it quits in his prime.