PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is “one of the best to ever do it,” lauding McCaffrey’s versatility ahead of Sunday’s NFC wild-card matchup.
“I’m a fan of the position, and I study all of them: I give my hat off to him. He’s one of the best to ever do it, to be completely honest,” Barkley said of McCaffrey. “As a fan of the game, you’re definitely going to be watching and see what he’s doing. But just, there’s nothing he can’t do. He can run the ball, he can catch the ball. Literally, he’s an all-purpose back, probably one of the best all-purpose backs to ever do it.
“I don’t know if he’s better than Marshall (Faulk) yet — he’s getting there — but (I’m a) big fan of him, and we’re good friends. So we have a little competitive side when we go against each other, so hopefully that comes out this week.”
Barkley, the 2024 NFL offensive player of the year, and McCaffrey, the 2023 offensive player of the year, will face each other for the first time since either player won the award or even played for the teams they currently play. Barkley and McCaffrey are two of the NFL’s biggest stars, yet they have not been on the field healthy against each other since Barkley played for the New York Giants and McCaffrey played for the Carolina Panthers.
Barkley and McCaffrey are incredibly competitive. Barkley said the two friends have met at offseason events and filmed a commercial together, and it goes from competitive to friendly in a hurry.
SAQUON BARKLEY. 2K RUSHING YARDS. pic.twitter.com/HDS8Jy1MRK
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
“One time, at the Pro Bowl, it was Connect 4,” Barkley said. “I remember after a commercial on my phone, we’re texting and we’re going against each other in chess.
“I won, by the way,” Barkley was quick to add.
It’s why Barkley said there’s an added competitive motivation when he knows McCaffrey is on the other side. Since Barkley entered the NFL in 2018, the only two players who have more all-purpose yards are Derrick Henry and McCaffrey. Barkley has more rushing yards than McCaffrey, and McCaffrey has more receiving yards.
“I’ll be lying if I said (I did not get up) for a guy like Christian, definitely do,” Barkley said. “So, anytime you go against a guy who’s such a great back and future Hall of Famer, in my opinion, you definitely want to go out there and perform at a high level. But it always comes down to, I can’t stop him. He can’t stop me. But I’ll be lying to you if I didn’t say that you want to go out there and win, especially against a guy like that.”
Barkley also admitted he’ll watch McCaffrey from the sideline. Although he said it would be more as an admirer of running backs and out of an appreciation for football, rather than for specifics about the game. Barkley is a student of the position. He was rooting for McCaffrey to reach 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards this season — McCaffrey came 76 receiving yards short — and noted how McCaffrey would have been the first player in NFL history to achieve that feat twice.
In a conversation last season, Barkley said his top five running backs of all time were Barry Sanders, Faulk, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Adrian Peterson. He called Faulk “the most versatile running back of all time” — a distinction that McCaffrey is chasing, but that Barkley is not yet ready to concede.
Barkley’s respect for McCaffrey is not merely a platitude the week they play. He brought up McCaffrey’s name during the summer of 2024 — months after McCaffrey won offensive player of the year, months before Barkley won the award — when discussing what greatness looks like for a modern-day running back.
“I was hoping he would get it,” Barkley said of the 1,000/1,000 distinction. “Only three people have ever done it.”