Saquon Barkley hints at early retirement

Saquon Barkley is coming off a career-best season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. But could the Penn State football legend and new Super Bowl champion be close to hanging up his cleats for good?

Appearing on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast this week, Barkley indicated that the end of his playing career may be closer than some would expect.

“I’m probably one of those guys that it’ll be out of nowhere,“ Barkley told Long of his retirement. ”Like I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year, or two years, or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over.’”

Barkley, who turned 28 in February, just finished his seventh year of professional football. The former Nittany Lion won Offensive Player of the Year honors last fall after setting the single-season NFL rushing record with 2,504 yards.

On Monday, Barkley was announced as the cover athlete for Madden 26.

Saquon Barkley, leaping his way on to the cover of Madden 26 #WeAre #PennState https://t.co/a9q6FhjLCS

— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) June 2, 2025

In March, Barkley signed a record-breaking two-year contract extension to his original three-year deal with the Eagles. Despite now being the highest-paid running back in NFL history, Barkley says he has no qualms about walking away at the top of his game. He likened his career trajectory to that of Barry Sanders, who retired in 1998 after rushing for 1,491 yards at the age of 30.

“The competitive nature is always going to be there, 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 ballin’ and just like, ‘Yeah, [time to] call it quits.‘”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned and operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on social media.