Saquon Barkley had one of the greatest seasons for any player in NFL history, becoming the ninth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and setting the NFL record for rushing yards in a season (including playoffs) with 2,504. The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl because of Barkley’s dominance on the ground last year.
Not only did Barkley finish with the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history, he was the first player ever to have 2,500 yards rushing in a season. Barkley also finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage, the most ever in a season in league history (including playoffs). Barkley and Terrell Davis (also a member of the 2,000-yard club) are the only players in NFL history to have 400+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing touchdowns in a single postseason, as his 499 yards rushing in the playoffs were third-most for a player in league history.
What can Barkley do for an encore? Can he rush for 2,000 yards again with Philadelphia?
Barkley will certainly try to repeat his impressive feat, but 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.
2,000-yard rushers — how they fared the following season
| Running Back | 2,000-yard season | 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.
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.
2,000 yard rushers — carries in 2,000-yard season and following season
| Running back | Carries in 2,000-yard season | Carries in season following 2,000-yard 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
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+ 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.
This news was originally published on this post .
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