Saquon Barkley, the Eagles and a win for NFL running backs - ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — Howie Roseman huddled with a handful of senior aides and personnel men for one of a series of meetings from the NovaCare Sports Complex in South Philly.

It was January 2023, and the Eagles' executive vice president and his staff were in the midst of offseason planning. Philadelphia was days ahead of a Super Bowl run that would fall just short of the ultimate prize in a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Roseman and his team were discussing the additions that might get them back to this stage.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley was scheduled to become a free agent that year, and his name was raised in a way sources in the room said was more than fleeting. The Eagles had seen plenty of Barkley since he entered the league, and the NFC East, in 2018. They'd mostly limited him — Barkley hadn't logged a 100-yard game vs. Philly since his rookie season — but they also knew what was on tape. Barkley was a nightmare to game-plan against.

«It's really hard to find difference-makers at any position,» a team source said. «With a guy like [Barkley], positional considerations become less of a focus.»

The Giants ended up putting the franchise tag on Barkley, and the Eagles moved forward. Turns out they were getting a 14-month jump on the eventual prize. The 2023 season would include a late-season plummet highlighted by tension between quarterback Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni, who barely escaped with his job. Philadelphia sought big-picture solutions for the offense.

Barkley's name was again raised as an option in January 2024 — albeit a relatively pricey one that would serve as a departure from the franchise's usual methodology. Roseman hadn't paid running backs top dollar in recent years. The