Saquon Barkley is the latest 2,000-yard rusher in the NFL, becoming the ninth player in history to hit the 2,000-yard mark for rushing yards in the regular season. The history-making season for Barkley didn’t stop there.
Barkley finished with the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history with 2,504 (including playoffs), the first player ever to have 2,500 rushing yards in a season. He 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 rushing yards 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 that have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season repeated the feat in the following season — nor reached the 2,000-yard mark again.
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 toward getting 2,000 yards again. That was this past season, which Henry finished with 1,921 rushing yards in his first season 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 this.
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 rushing yards per game were the lowest in a season for Sanders since 1992, yet he still had a productive season.
At 27 years old, Barkley is the second-oldest player to have a 2,000-yard season. Sanders is the oldest player to have a 2,000-yard season (29), and 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).
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. O.J. Simpson had 1,817 yards at the age of 28 in a 14-game season.
What will make Barkley’s 2025 season intriguing is if he can challenge for 2,000 yards again. Barkley will still have the dual-threat of Jalen Hurts at quarterback and two star receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to take the pressure off him. Of course, four of the five offensive linemen on the Philadelphia Eagles will be back (all five if Mekhi Becton re-signs).
History is against Barkley getting that amount, but players like Henry and the 17-game season are turning the tide in his direction.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
February 20, 2025 | 12:05 pm
