2025 NFL Honors: Eagles’ Saquon Barkley wins Offensive Player of the Year after record-setting season

While many award recipients are a no-brainer, the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award was anything but. Several players were well-deserving of the honor, but in the end, it was ultimately awarded to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. 

While winning OPOY is a big honor, it’s somewhat of a consolation prize for Barkley, who in a different era would have been a shoo-in for league MVP. But that has become a quarterback’s award; the last time a non-QB won that honor was running back Adrian Peterson back in 2012.

This season, Barkley joined Peterson in the exclusive club of 2,000-yard rushers. Barkley became the ninth player in league history to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season, gaining 2,005 yards in 16 games. Barkley finished the season 101 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old, single season record. 

Instead of trying to break Dickerson’s record in Week 18 (against his old team, the New York Giants), Barkley instead opted to rest in order to be fresh for the Eagles’ playoff run. Barkley’s decision has paid off, as he has joined Hall of Fame running backs Terrell Davis and Emmitt Smith as the only rushing champions to reach the Super Bowl. He did so after rushing for 119, 205 and 118 yards in Philadelphia’s playoff wins over the Packers, Rams and Commanders, respectively. 

Barkley is now 30 yards away from breaking Davis’ record for the most rushing yards gained in a season (including postseason). 

As noted above, Barkley beat out several other deserving players for OPOY. Among those players were Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Chase became the fifth player since 1970 to win the NFL’s “triple crown” (leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches). Burrow paced the NFL in both passing yards and touchdown passes. Jackson threw for career-highs in passing yards (4,172) yards and touchdowns (41) against just four interceptions while rushing for 915 yards and averaging a league-best 6.6 yards-per-carry. Allen was also a dual-threat dynamo, racking up 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns passing, and 531 yards and seven scores rushing.