Despite a commanding victory in Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles’ star Saquon Barkley revealed that the celebrations weren’t without their challenges.
The All-World running back shared that even after the victory and the glorious parade he struggled to sleep as he began to think about how he could elevate his game for next season.
“Two nights ago, I had trouble sleeping because I’m thinking about how I can attack the offseason,” Barkley said.
“Because you kind of get – greedy’s not the word – but addicted to it. You want to find a way how you can hold that Lombardi [Trophy] up again and do it all over again.”
Barkley’s first season with the Eagles after leaving the New York Giants in free agency was nothing short of remarkable.
He set a franchise record by rushing for over 2,000 yards and was later named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year at the NFL Honors ceremony.
However, Barkley’s post-Super Bowl media appearances haven’t been all about football.
He recently spoke out about an incident involving pop star Taylor Swift, who attended the Super Bowl to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Swift was booed viciously when she was shown on the jumbotron during the game.
During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Barkley said he couldn’t understand why anyone would boo Swift.
“I remember that they showed her on the Jumbotron, and she got booed,” Barkley said. “I don’t get it. I don’t get why she was getting hate there.
“She’s there supporting her significant other, and she’s made the game bigger. In football, we’re all about how we can expand the game internationally. We’re traveling to Brazil and Mexico, and apparently, Australia soon.
“Her being a part of it is only helping that, so I don’t get the slack that she’s getting.”
Whether Barkley realizes it or not, a large amount of football fans have grown sick and tired of Swift. Plus, the real reason why she got booed that night was because there were so many Eagles fans in the stadium.
In other words, get with the program Saquon!
Barkley’s sentiment stands in stark contrast to his teammate, CJ Gardner-Johnson, who has sparked controversy with his public trolling of Swift and Kelce.
Gardner-Johnson first took aim at Kelce in an Instagram post referencing the tight end’s ex-girlfriend.
“Should’ve stayed w that thick s***,” Gardner-Johnson wrote in the post.
Then, at the victory parade, Gardner-Johnson took his trolling to the next level…
Despite his teammate’s antics, Barkley is singularly focused on the future.
To the delight of Eagles fans everywhere, Barkley seems extremely motivated to make sure this Super Bowl title isn’t a one-and-done type of thing.
Barkley wants the Birds to go on their own Patriots/Chiefs type of run…
“You take it in, you cherish it, you enjoy, you appreciate the fans. But the dynasty thing, you can’t really get too caught up in that,” he said. “The way you do that is by putting the work in, and there’s a reason why we won. Success is not an accident, so we got to try to do it all over again next year.”
Pretty soon, the Eagles will have to turn the page to next season.
While Super Bowl titles last forever, the fact of the matter is free agency and the draft are right around the corner.
If Barkley and the Birds want to have any shot at sustained success, they need to keep their foot on the pedal.
What are your thoughts on all of this “dynasty” talk in Philly? … Are the Eagles getting a little too far ahead of themselves???
