Eagles’ star running back, Saquon Barkley got caught up in the moment. Blame it on the alcohol.
Sitting at the post-game podium, with his Super Bowl champions shirt on and hat flipped to the side — along with his two beautiful kids on his lap — daughter, Jada; son, Saquon Jr. — the NFL Offensive Player of the Year contemplated the future of the Eagles’ franchise, specifically saying: “Why not start our dynasty now?”
Barkley uttered it twice, in two different settings. And why not? The Eagles are young. They are motivated. They own the most talented roster in football. They are humble yet hungry. Most importantly, they are the reigning world champions.
But, speaking dynasties into existence doesn’t necessarily make them true. Winning one Lombardi Trophy is the toughest row to hoe in sports, something that Barkley understands better than anyone and went on record to clear up.
“I said after the game, why can’t our dynasty start now … I probably had a little bit of champagne and some other stuff in my system at the time but you really can’t focus on that,” Barkley said during a press conference at Raising Cane’s in Trevose, PA. “You gotta enjoy the moment, it’s hard to win one … you take it in, you enjoy the moment, and you start over … and it kind of starts over after Friday.”
Saquon Barkley backtracked on his post-Super Bowl comment about starting a new dynasty in Philly …
“I probably had too much champagne and other stuff in my system … enjoy the moment. It’s hard to win one.
“It all starts over after Friday.”#Eagles #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/FbrnnmiM7H
— Michael Greger (@mike_greger) February 13, 2025
Friday is the Eagles’ Championship Parade, a joyous jaunt down Broad Street on what is sure to be the greenest Valentine’s Day in city history. A million fans are expected to turn out for the second parade in seven years.
“There’s been a lot of adversity, a lot of ups and downs,” Barkley said, “but it is the perfect timing to do it here, to do it as a part of this city, and with these fans, it’s truly amazing.”
Judging by the crowd at Raising Cane’s — approximately 1,000 people showed up on a random Thursday to cheer on Barkley as he worked the drive-thru line and served up chicken fingers at the counter — it’s going to be a mess. A beautiful, verdurous, unapologetically awesome mess of humanity.
Barkley is ready for it. All of it.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Barkley said. “The Philly fans have been amazing all year round, just the love and support that they have for this team. This city truly buys into this team, you could see it there [as he pointed to the parking lot at Raising Cane’s], look how many people showed up. I’m expecting it to be a blast, a party.”
Saquon Barkley says “it won’t be me” when asked to predict the best speech at tomorrow’s parade.
His vote for most memorable speech?Either Lane Johnson or Brandon Graham. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/W8E58qLOTi
— Michael Greger (@mike_greger) February 13, 2025
The last time the masses hijacked Broad Street, Jason Kelce took center stage in that obnoxious Mummers costume and morphed into Maximus. His speech was the stuff of legend. So, which Eagles player will provide the encore?
“It won’t be me, I can guarantee you that,” Barkley said. “That’s not my thing. If I had to pick one I would say either Lane Johnson or BG [Brandon Graham]. And I think they are the two longest-tenured Eagles right now … so, I think it would just be perfect for one of those two to do that, especially if it is BG. Last game with us and last year, for him to go out with a bang, I think that would be pretty cool.”
Dream Starts Over: After the Eagles’ Ring Ceremony
A.J. Brown said the euphoria from winning Super Bowl 59 lasted two days, then it was “back to work.” DeVonta Smith has echoed that sentiment in recent interviews, with Jalen Hurts saying the same thing in private conversations.
Saquon Barkley said he’ll enjoy the championship parade — “shoot for the stars and land on the moon,” is his favorite saying — but then it’s back to the drawing board. The Eagles are starting from scratch. The Super Bowl ring ceremony is the only thing left to celebrate on the offseason calendar.
“Whenever the ring ceremony is, that’s probably the last day we truly celebrate being a Super Bowl champion and then it’s back to work,” Barkley said. “Two nights ago I had a hard time sleeping because I’m thinking about how I’m going to attack the offseason because you kind of get — greedy’s not the word — but addicted to it. You want to find a way how you can hold that Lombardi up again and do it all over again.”
(The Eagles were fitted for their Super Bowl rings later in the day. The ceremony will probably be in June sometime, at least that’s when they did it in 2018).
“So, you take it in, you cherish it,” Barkley continued. “You enjoy it, you appreciate the fans but the dynasty thing … you can’t really get caught up in that, and the way you do that is by putting the work in. There’s a reason why we won, it’s not by accident, so we gotta try and do it all over again next year.”
There’s that dynasty thing again. It’s not a bad word. It’s not overconfidence or cockiness. It’s just the reality of the thing.
“Dream starts over,” Barkley said.
Partnering Up with Todd Graves at Raising Cane’s
Barkley’s appearance at Raising Cane’s in Trevose, PA on Thursday (February 13) wasn’t by accident. The superstar running back struck up a friendship with owner Todd Graves at a Formula One racing event in Miami earlier this year. Then, Graves traveled to the Super Bowl in New Orleans to cheer on Barkley and the Eagles from a suite.
“It was amazing watching Saquon, Jalen and the team win the Super Bowl on Sunday night,” Graves said. “It was a great game and seeing Saquon hold the Lombardi Trophy and be named Offensive Player of the Year all within his first season with Philly was great.”
That bond turned into a partnership. Barkley didn’t just show up to Raising Cane’s for a quick photo opportunity. No, the 28-year-old took orders at the counter and handed out chicken fingers at the drive-thru. He also participated in a lengthy commercial shoot for the fast-food chain, delivering scripted lines like: “You know the secret to winning rings? Good fingers. Like Raising Cane’s chicken fingers. Tastes like victory!”
Funny outtake from Saquon Barkley while shooting an ad for Raising Cane’s today. They wanted him to end the shoot by saying: “Saquon out.”
Saquon politely declined. “Nah, that’s not something I would say.”
(Pictured with Cane’s owner Todd Graves).#Eagles #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/8mv6Bvhmay
— Michael Greger (@mike_greger) February 13, 2025
Barkley also poured out samples of a new green lemonade that Raising Cane’s concocted to honor the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. The refreshing drink is a limited-time offering at area restaurants.
“I loved working the drive-thru with Todd,” said Barkley. “The first time I came to Cane’s was in Charlotte with my teammates. My favorite thing to eat is the Box Combo – you can never go wrong with chicken fingers and fries.”
REUTERS/Mike Segar
