Derrick Henry Revealed Sweet Reason He Rooted for Saquon Barkley in Super Bowl Win

Saquon Barkley's first season with the Eagles was nothing short of a dream campaign for the seventh-year back. With Philadelphia in 2024, Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. After an incredible regular season, Barkley then helped the Eagles advance through the playoffs and defeat the Chiefs to win his first Super Bowl.

In the AFC, Derrick Henry's initial campaign as a Raven didn't disappoint either. Henry came close to his second 2,000-yard rushing season, going for 1,921 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns. He and the Ravens fell short of reaching the Super Bowl, but he set the record for the most rushing yards by a running back aged 30 or older.

Though Barkley finished with the superior season, Henry wasn't envious. Instead, he was rooting for Barkley while he competed in the Super Bowl.

“Heck yeah, I was rooting for him,” Henry said to Mike Silver of The Athletic. “I love to see people accomplish their dreams, ’cause it motivates me to do the same thing. I love to see running backs happy. I’m not the guy who’s like, ‘Oh man, why is he doing this (and not me)?’ I love to see it. It fuels me.”

Not only was Henry rooting for Barkley to win his first ring, he also hoped he would set the single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. Barkley could have broken the record if he played in the final game of the season, but the Eagles decided to rest him to avoid any chance of injury before the postseason.

“I even wrote him [before week 18]: ‘Are you gonna play?’ He said no, and I was like, ‘Awwww — man!’ That was the thing; I think we all wanted to see [Barkley break the record}," Henry said, via Silver.

The respect has been mutual between Henry and Barkley. When Henry signed an extension with the Ravens earlier this offseason, Barkley was among those to congratulate him.

The running back position has often not been appreciated over the last decade. Not only have Barkley and Henry proved just how important they can be to an offense, but continually expressed support for each other as the league regularly downplays their value.