It’s official. This has gone on longer than it should. Some of you need to hear this. We’d all do ourselves a solid if we retire the conversations about ‘curses’. Here’s a promise. Saquon Barkley’s season with the Philadelphia Eagles won’t be cut short by injury simply because Electronic Arts made him the cover athlete on the Madden NFL game.

While this may come as a shock to some of you, the rest of us have never been more certain about anything. Is the ‘Madden Curse’ interesting to discuss? Sure, it is, but life doesn’t work that way.

Madden NFL’s curse is a weird coincidence, but we’re talking about the game of football. Injuries are, unfortunately, sometimes a part of the deal.

During the most recent Eagles season, Barkley enjoyed a run that would make Hall of Famers and NFL icons of the past and present jealous. He became only the ninth player to exceed 2,000 yards rushing in a single season.

He won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. He won a Super Bowl, was named a Pro Bowler, and earned First-Team All-Pro honors, but he logged over 345 carries in 2024, leading to some discussion about his upcoming season.

Concern about Saquon Barkley’s sophomore Eagles season has reached a fever pitch.

Let’s backtrack for a second. Our hearts go out to every victim of the so-called ‘Madden Curse’ and to everyone who has suffered an injury while playing our favorite game. From stars to the 16th man on the practice squad, we hope that everyone enjoys a great and injury-free NFL season, but again… That won’t happen.

Despite crafting one of the greatest seasons by a running back in the now 106-year history of our great game, no one has forgotten that Barkley is human. He carried the ball an NFL-leading 345 times during the regular season before leading all ball carriers with another 91 carries during the postseason run. That has led to legitimate concerns about his workload and his mortality.

What do we make of Saquon Barkley’s 436 carries this past season?

Since 2007, we have seen 25 instances in which an NFL running back has exceeded 370 touches during a single season. Only two players gained more total yardage the following year.

Barkley rushed 436 times and caught an additional 46 passes. That’s a ton. That is also why the Eagles added A.J. Dillon. Will Shipley enters year two. It may be time to employ more of a committee approach in the Eagles’ backfield.

What do we make of the ‘2,000-yard club curse’?

Yes… We know… We know… Never has there ever been what’s been deemed a ‘2k-yard club curse,’ but we’ve all heard the discourse. Guys that exceed the 2,000 yards rushing never repeat the feat the following season. No one has ever exceeded 1,500 yards rushing the following year.

What’s the point, you ask? Well, there are several. One, every Eagles fan walking recognizes Barkley’s value. While it may seem ridiculous to state the Eagles may want to explore strategies for lightening the game-day workload, keeping him fresh is worth the effort. He’s terrific, but he isn’t superhuman. Playing football’s most punishing position takes its toll on everyone who does so.

We’d also like to ease the minds of Birds fans. Nothing said here is foreign to Eagles coaches or the leadership structure. Be confident in knowing that one of football’s most innovative organizations will figure out a plan for keeping one of its best players and assets upright.

Last but not least… We repeat… There is NO SUCH THING AS A MADDEN CURSE. Saying Barkley is in danger of injury because of excessive wear and tear is one thing. Saying he’ll be injured because of his likeness appearing on the cover of a video game is beyond ridiculous.

In the end, we’re all on the same team. He’s signed through the 2028 Eagles season, making him eligible for free agency in 2029. That would give us five full years of the Saquon Barkley experience in an Eagles jersey.

We all want to take in every second of the journey, hopefully without him missing any time. He playfully hinted at retirement. Hopefully, Barry Sanders talked him out of it. Year one was a thrill ride. Hopefully, year two is an injury-free, action-packed encore.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles have to keep Saquon Barkley healthy after 2,000-yard season