Saquon Barkley makes shocking admission about retirement after winning Super Bowl

Saquon Barkley switched teams during the last offseason after previously spending his entire career with the New York Giants. He joined their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and proceeded to have one of the best offensive seasons by any running back in NFL history.

The superstar rushed for more than 2,000 yards, was named the Offensive Player of the Year and then proceeded to win a Super Bowl ring. He was on Wednesday's episode of the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast to discuss his impressive year but also addressed the topic of potential retirement in the near future.

"I'll probably be one of those guys that it'll be out of nowhere," Barkley said. "I'll probably just wake up one day, whether it's next year or two years or four years, and just be like, 'It's over.' I don't think I will ever lose that passion, I'm just a competitor ... but probably my favorite player of all time is Barry Sanders, so probably similar to that.

"Maybe one day, it'll be out of nowhere, I'll probably be bawling and just be like, 'Yeah, I call it quits.'"

Saquon Barkley may have shocked many around the NFL, especially those associated with the Philadelphia Eagles, with his unexpected thoughts on his potential retirement. He said he could do so as early as next year, and if he did, there would be no warning before doing so.

He referenced Barry Sanders, who notoriously retired from the Detroit Lions while he was still in the prime of his career. Apparently, Barkley idolizes Sanders and even said he could retire in a similar way. Sanders was just 31 when he officially retired, while Barkley will enter the 2025 NFL season at 28 years old.

Saquon Barkley's contract lines up with his Barry Sanders retirement plan

Saquon Barkley

What makes Saquon Barkley's comments on his potential retirement even more interesting is that he signed a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles just a few weeks before. The deal keeps him under team control through the 2028 season, which, like Barry Sanders at the time of his retirement, would make him 31 years old.

Barkley directly said he will probably retire in a similar way as Sanders did, with no real warning ahead of time. He could be the same age as his icon if he waits until his contract in Philadelphia expires, but based on his own explanation, it may come even sooner than that. One may wonder if the Eagles knew this before making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.