WATCH: Saquon Barkley wanted to pursue rushing record, Nick Sirianni decided against it

If Saquon Barkley had it his way, he’d be playing the record on Sunday.

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni told reporters on Wednesday that he will likely rest starters this week against the Giants, effectively ending Saquon Barkley’s regular season.

Barkley currently sits at 2,005 rushing yards on the year, 101 shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season record.

When asked about the decision, Barkley stated he spoke to Sirianni and told him ‘I’m down’ to play and would do everything he could to break Dickerson’s record.

“He asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it. I said, ‘On Sunday, you know, I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it, I was like, there’s an opportunity to put my name in football history. May never get an opportunity like that again. So, I’m down.

But, at the end of the day, I don’t care if I’m putting the team at risk. He’s the head coach for a reason. He makes the decisions. And whatever decision he wanted to make, I let him know, ‘If you want me to play, I’m a go out there and make sure I get it. If we don’t, I’m OK with that, too.'”

Saquon Barkley reacts to the team deciding to not play him in the final game

Sounds like he told Nick Sirianni he wanted to do it, but is OK with the team’s decision to rest the starters: pic.twitter.com/5kYGANKj1E

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 1, 2025

Barkley has been a team player all year, but you can tell he’s bummed about not having the chance to make history.

To be fair, it sounded like Barkley didn’t give a definitive answer, so Sirianni did what was best for the team.

If you opt to pursue the record, you would not only be playing Barkley but the starting offensive line as well. Given how banged up the OL has been and the early bye week, rest takes priority in preparation for the postseason.

Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in a season, joining O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Derrick Henry.

“I didn’t come here to break Eric Dickerson‘s record. I came here to win a Super Bowl.”

Saquon Barkley says his dad probably took the news the hardest. Says having the family name attached to the record would have been nice. #Eagles

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 1, 2025

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images