Saquon Barkley hints he could retire as soon as next year to go out like Barry Sanders

[Bamx]

The Eagles running back might not be playing in the NFL much longer​

One of the most shocking retirements in NFL history came in July 1999 when Barry Sanders stunned the league by announcing that he was done playing football after 10-year career with the Detroit Lions where he made the Pro Bowl 10 times. It's not often that you see a player retire at the top of his game, but that's exactly what Sanders did, and now, nearly 30 years later, Saquon Barkley is thinking about doing that same thing.

During an interview with Chris Long on the latest edition of "The Green Light" podcast, the 28-year-old Barkley was asked if he would be a guy who ends up retiring early or if he would play until the wheels fell off. The Philadelphia Eagles running back then proceeded to give a pretty surprising answer: Barkley said he might consider retiring as soon as next year.

"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,'" Barkley said. "I don't think I will ever lose that passion. I'm just a competitor. ... The competitive nature is always going to be there."

Barkley is well aware that Sanders retired while he was still one of the best running backs in the NFL and it seems that he's starting to give some serious consideration to also going out that way.


https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...gles-star-wants-to-go-out-like-barry-sanders/

 

[Jipper]

Why wait?

 

[jterrell]

Why wait?

Exactly. Be about it, don't talk about it.
You own a title as the key offensive weapon, have millions in the bank.
If you want to retire you simply can.

 

[jazzcat22]

If he is thinking about retiring, he has already done so.
Who said that, Madden?

 

[HungryLion]

Why wait?

lol

 

[John813]

Hopefully he can convince Jalen Carter and AJ Brown to retire too

 

[KJJ]

Sanders got sick of losing in Detroit. Barkley knows he’s about to hit the wall. Every 2000 yard rusher fell way off the following season. I expect the same with Barkley. He’s bound to suffer some injuries in 2025.

 

[WillieBeamen]

Good

 

[Teague31]

And yet somehow the Eagles will have no cap complications as a result

 

[Scottishcowboy]

I will believe it when it happens but until then.......

I recently watched a TV show here in the UK and the presenter is an ex pro footballer (Gary Neville). He has another ex pro on each show and they watch career highlights of that player. The episode I watched the other day had a French player (David Ginola). Anyway......Ginola said "the person on the screen is someone else" he also said "he died the day he retired" and talked how much he missed that life.

Retiring as a pro athlete at the top is very rare, yes Sanders did it as well as another Lion (Megatron) but who else!

When it comes to it, the love of the game.....or attention / adulation is very powerful and very, very hard to let go.

I doubt Barkley walks next year.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Hopefully he can convince Jalen Carter and AJ Brown to retire too

Still wouldn’t be enough

 

[Scottishcowboy]

Still wouldn’t be enough

In the words of Han Solo........"don't get cocky kid"

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

I will believe it when it happens but until then.......

I recently watched a TV show here in the UK and the presenter is an ex pro footballer (Gary Neville). He has another ex pro on each show and they watch career highlights of that player. The episode I watched the other day had a French player (David Ginola). Anyway......Ginola said "the person on the screen is someone else" he also said "he died the day he retired" and talked how much he missed that life.

Retiring as a pro athlete at the top is very rare, yes Sanders did it as well as another Lion (Megatron) but who else!

When it comes to it, the love of the game.....or attention / adulation is very powerful and very, very hard to let go.

I doubt Barkley walks next year.

Luke Kuechly

Robert Smith

Patrick Willis

Jim Brown

Andrew Luck

Frank Ragnow

Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff

 

[KingCorcoran]

Luke Kuechly

Robert Smith

Patrick Willis

Jim Brown

Andrew Luck

Frank Ragnow

Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff

Good response.

 

[Scottishcowboy]

Luke Kuechly

Robert Smith

Patrick Willis

Jim Brown

Andrew Luck

Frank Ragnow

Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff

That's a short list for a game played by 100s of pros every year.......and you listed 1 who retired before colour TV (correct spelling of colour btw).

I know we could list a good few but it is very rare.

 

[Coogiguy03]

There's a few others that I can think of that need to do that rather sooner than later as well!

 

[jazzcat22]

There's a few others that I can think of that need to do that rather sooner than later as well!

You thinking of retiring?

 

[J817]

If Barkley retires next year is he a HOFer? He already has Terrell Davis like rushing stats in his career but is needing one more SB to truly equal Davis level.

 

[Joey9775]

I've always said if I was Barry Sanders I'd be all "**** Detroit". Gave him no help ever.

 

[StarOfGlory]

Luke Kuechly

Robert Smith

Patrick Willis

Jim Brown

Andrew Luck

Frank Ragnow

Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff

Jim Brown didn’t want to retire when he did. He was in England still filming his parts for The Dirty Dozen when training camp was supposed to start. Art Modell told him that he would be fined every day he missed camp. Brown basically gave him the middle finger and just said bye bye. He would end up performing in over 50 films.