Eagles make Saquon Barkley decision with NFL rushing record on the line vs. Giants

There will be no Saquon Barkley record-breaking party Sunday.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed Wednesday that Philadelphia will be resting players, including Barkley, in Week 18 vs. the Giants as it prepares for the playoffs after winning the NFC East.

Barkley, 27, ends his season with 2,005 rushing yards, just 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards set in 1984.

“He’s the head coach for a reason. He makes those decisions, and whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know if you let me play, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get it. And if I don’t, I am OK with that, too,” Barkley told reporters Wednesday.

He finishes his first year in Philadelphia with the ninth-most single-season rushing yards in NFL history.

“Obviously it’s a very special record that’s been standing for a very long time by a great player. It’s a team record that everybody’s involved in. You weigh all those things,” Sirianni told reporters Wednesday. “But at the end of the day, you just try to do what’s best for the team. When the bye was, how guys are feeling, the bumps and bruises we can take care of. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be in this situation.”

Barkley, who spent the first six years of his career with the Giants after being drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, was swiped away by the division rival Eagles in free agency.

The three-year contract for $37.75 million has immediately paid dividends for the Eagles, as they are 13-3 going into the season’s final week.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen had previously acknowledged during the behind-the-scenes MAX show, “Hard Knocks,” that the Giants could not pay both Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones exorbitant salaries.

Jones played his way off the team with a terrible 2024 campaign; he was later cut and then added to the Vikings practice squad.

Big Blue comes into Sunday with the inverse record of the Eagles (3-13) and is currently slated to draft fourth in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts is still in concussion protocol and is also not expected to play in what is a meaningless game for the division winners, who are locked into the No. 2 seed and will host either the Commanders or Packers in the Wild Card round.

This news, while good for those hoping not to see the Giants embarrassed by Barkley, could be bad for those Giants fans hoping to tank for a higher draft pick.

Big Blue could mostly be going against backups in a game that won’t affect Philadelphia’s playoff seeding and last week’s upset of the Colts showed the Giants can still muster a strong effort.

With a win, Big Blue could fall as low as the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.