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.
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 after missing the playoffs the year prior.
General manager Joe Schoen had previously acknowledged during the behind-the-scenes MAX show, “Hard Knocks,” that the Giants could not pay Barkley as well as Daniel Jones an exorbitant salary.
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 No. 4 overall come April
Starting quarterback Jalen Hurts is still in concussion protocol and is also not expected to play in what is a meaningless game for the Eagles, 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, as Big Blue could mostly be going against backups in a game that won’t affect Philadelphia’s playoff seeding.
With a win, Big Blue could fall as low as the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
