Barry Sanders: Saquon, Eagles O-line should split NFL MVP honors
Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders believes this year's NFL MVP award should go to multiple players.
In response to a discussion about the MVP race on Tuesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," Sanders suggested that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and his offensive line split the honor like he and Brett Favre did in 1997.
.@PatMcAfeeShow is dead right. We rushed for 2053 yards in 1997 and they split the #MVP between Brett and I. I hope that do that for @saquon and his line.
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) January 7, 2025
Barkley enjoyed a career year in his first season in Philadelphia, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 345 carries and adding 33 receptions for 278 yards and two scores. He finished just 101 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.
Running backs have won NFL MVP 16 times since the Associated Press started handing out the honor in 1957, but quarterbacks have dominated in recent years. The last running back to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012.