Once upon a jersey number, Saquon Barkley was just a kid in No. 20, zigzagging down fields like he had Barry Sanders on replay in his bloodstream. “They used to call me ‘Little Barry,'” he said. He didn’t even know who ‘Barry’ was until his dad plopped him in front of YouTube and that’s when he “fell in love with Barry Sanders as a running back.” Fast forward a couple of decades, and Barkley isn’t just mimicking his idol – he’s got Barry sending him signed jerseys and heartfelt messages. From backyard Barry to an NFL superstar, Barkley’s story came full circle when Barry Sanders shared his thoughts in an EssentiallySports Exclusive interview. After all, the Eagles’ #26 has become the modern echo of Sanders – and now, the original is watching back.

During the exclusive, the Lions legend Barry Sanders finally peeled back the curtain on his true feelings for the Eagles’ new superstar. Speaking with EssentiallySports’ Andrew Whitelaw, Sanders made it clear – he’s all in on Saquon Barkley’s greatness. But he’s not letting the Giants off the hook either. When asked, “Do you think he’s [Barkley] one of the era’s defining backs? What makes him stand out for you?” Sanders went all out, “Oh, absolutely. He’s certainly one of the era’s defining backs. You know, with going over 2,000 yards last year,” Sanders said.

But then he fired subtle shots at the Giants. “You know, his year with the Giants. Right. He wasn’t in a great situation, obviously. But, to see him have a historic year last year and help his team win the Super Bowl,” Barry said. Yes, that was a polite way of saying that that Big Blue messed this one up. Big time! Sanders didn’t name names. But the subtext was louder than a MetLife boo. Because we know how it turned out for GM Joe Schoen, who nonchalantly said while cutting Barkley, “Having the needs that we have and a $12 million dollar, 27-year-old running back… This is the year for Daniel (Jones).”

And who better than Barry Sanders to tip the hat to another running back? Sanders danced around the ‘BAR’, juked it, and left it wondering what just happened. Four rushing titles, an MVP, and over 2,300 scrimmage yards in 1997. He hit 100 yards in 14 straight games that year, a streak that still makes defenders wince. His size? Undersized by most standards. But that only made his style more brutal. “He makes you miss so bad, you kind of look up in the stands and wonder if anybody’s looking at you,” one cornerback said back in the day.

So, when Sanders says Saquon deserves the Madden cover, and the flowers after his Super Bowl run, you listen. “Just the dynamic plays that he made last year, just highlight what kind of a player he is, how valuable he is,” Sanders told us during the Essentiallysports Exclusive. That praise didn’t come while Barkley was in New York. It came after he took the leap to Philly.

Let’s not forget: Barkley became the ninth player ever to break 2,000 rushing yards in a regular season. The first to do it with his second team. He broke Terrell Davis’ all-time season rushing record, stacked a Super Bowl, and even torched the Cowboys for 167 yards in the division-clinching finale. And while New York flipped the chapter, Barry’s words were a subtle reminder: they closed the book too early. “Between him and Derrick Henry, they’re probably the two best running backs in the NFL,” Sanders concluded. A Hall of Fame-level endorsement. From a guy who knows the 2K club, because he was in it before hashtags existed. But behind every broken record and box score headline, there’s something even more enduring – the reason they fell in love with football in the first place.

Saquon Barkley and Barry Sanders: 2 RBs, 2 generations, romanticizing over 1 game

When asked what made football so special, Barry Sanders didn’t mention records, awards, or even legacy. Instead, he leaned into something far simpler – and far deeper. “I had a natural love and passion for it,” Sanders said in the EssentiallySports Exclusive interview. “Whether it was in my backyard or, you know, playing with teammates, you know, or in an organized situation. I just love being on the field, playing different positions, the competition, you know, I think there’s there’s so many things that go along with it.” That same backyard spirit? It’s written all over Saquon Barkley’s game. Whether he’s bouncing runs to the edge or turning short gains into highlight reels, Barkley runs like the scoreboard doesn’t matter – like he’s still that kid in the No. 20 jersey.

Their bond goes beyond admiration. It’s a shared philosophy. Barry danced through defenders because he loved the rhythm. Saquon does it because he grew up studying that rhythm and never stopped playing the game like it was recess. “Barry’s my guy. He’s my favorite running back of all time,” Barkley said in April. “Able to meet him in person and have conversations with him and have a great relationship with him, him sending that out to me, I’m lucky. Sometimes I look back and I just smile and think how blessed I am.”

But as far as Sanders is concerned, for him, football was about friendship, competition, and the kind of joy that doesn’t fade. “You’re playing with friends and, and you become friends with guys, sometimes over a lifetime – And sometimes you can be you can become friends with guys that you were the biggest rivals,” he said during the ES Exclusive, reflecting on a career that was built more on feel than fame.

That’s what Barkley’s chasing. Not just numbers, not just headlines – but that feeling. The one Barry never lost. And now, decades later, the legend who once inspired Barkley through a YouTube screen is passing the torch – not through stat sheets or speeches, but through a shared love for the game that still lives in Saquon’s every cut, spin, and stiff arm.