Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. These two names are at the forefront of NFL discussions over the last 25 years.
Brady, with his unmatched seven Super Bowl victories, holds the title of the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Meanwhile, Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynamic quarterback, is on the cusp of making history this Super Bowl Sunday, aiming to be the first quarterback to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles.
Should he defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahomes would secure his fourth championship at just 29 years old, positioning him to potentially challenge Brady’s legendary status in the years to come.
Quarterbacks, quarterbacks, quarterbacks.
Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Lamar Jackson—the list goes on. Fans are captivated by quarterbacks, and teams are willing to pay fortunes for the exceptional ones. Of course, there have been other phenomenal players at different positions who’ve captured our attention, like J.J. Watt, Terrell Owens, and Troy Polamalu.
However, there was a golden era from the 70s to the 90s when running backs weren’t just pivotal on the field, but were also household names. Think of Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, Walter “Sweetness” Payton, Marcus Allen, and O.J. Simpson—everyone knew these running backs.
In recent years, this hasn’t been as true, but now, thanks to Philadelphia Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley, the spotlight is back on the position. Especially if Barkley and the Eagles manage to dethrone Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
Barkley has had an incredible 2024 season both in the regular games and playoffs, rekindling interest in running backs. He’s scored five rushing touchdowns during the postseason; if he adds three more in the Super Bowl, he’d match Terrell Davis’ record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single playoff run, set back after the 1997 season when Davis also set a record with 2,476 rushing yards in the season and playoffs, leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
Saquon Barkley, who turns 28 on Super Bowl Sunday, needs just 30 rushing yards to break Davis’ record for the most combined rushing yards in a regular season and postseason.
Barkley’s playoff performances have been highlighted by three long touchdown runs of 60 or more yards, including 62 and 78-yard scores against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, and a 60-yard touchdown run in the NFC Championship against the Washington Commanders.
In short, Saquon Barkley has been an exhilarating force all season. He’s a constant threat to break away on any given play, potentially leading the Eagles to victory with his nimble footwork alone.
Between 1990 and 2000, five running backs earned the NFL MVP title. Since then, however, only three have managed this feat, with the last being Adrian Peterson in 2012. In 2024, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen narrowly beat out Lamar Jackson for the MVP award, with Barkley placing third despite his stellar performance.
The prevailing view in recent years has been that running backs are replaceable, easily swapped out for younger, less expensive talent. While quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers can extend their careers well into their 40s, running backs typically have a much briefer prime. This perception has led to a significant undervaluation of running backs, highlighted by the fact that in 2023, a group of elite running backs, including Barkley, held a Zoom meeting to voice their frustrations over their declining market value.
This devaluation was vividly captured last year on “Hard Knocks,” HBO’s behind-the-scenes NFL docuseries. The show followed the New York Giants, Barkley’s former team, during their off-season. Here, Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen had just signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a lucrative four-year, $160 million deal. The cameras revealed Schoen’s hesitancy regarding Barkley’s future with the team, showcasing the harsh reality of the running back market in the modern NFL.
“You’re paying the guy $40 million,” Schoen said of Jones. “It’s not to hand the ball off to a $12 million back,” meaning Barkley.
So, Joe Schoen advised Barkley to explore free agency. “I’d have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” New York Giants owner John Mara admitted on camera. Barkley ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional rival, for $37.75 million, with $26 million guaranteed. Now, Barkley is playing in the Super Bowl, while the Giants, having released Daniel Jones, ended their season with a dismal 3-14 record.
Given Barkley’s success, it’s clear teams might need to reconsider how they value running backs. The last time a running back won Super Bowl MVP was Terrell Davis, 27 years ago. If Barkley can achieve that honor, it would definitively signal a shift in how running backs are perceived in the NFL.
