Saquon Barkley Hails Christian McCaffrey as 'One of the Best to Ever Do It' Before Eagles vs. 49ers

Saquon Barkley is a big Christian McCaffrey fan.

"I'm a fan of the position, and I study all of them: I give my hat off to him. He's one of the best to ever do it, to be completely honest," the Philadelphia Eagles' running back said of his San Francisco 49ers' counterpart ahead of Sunday's NFC Wild Card Round meeting between the teams. "As a fan of the game, you're definitely going to be watching and see what he's doing. But just, there's nothing he can't do. He can run the ball, he can catch the ball. Literally, he's an all-purpose back, probably one of the best all-purpose backs to ever do it. I don't know if he's better than Marshall (Faulk) yet—he's getting there—but (I'm a) big fan of him, and we're good friends. So we have a little competitive side when we go against each other, so hopefully that comes out this week."

McCaffrey, 29, put together a brilliant 2025 season after injuries limited him to just four games last year, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 catches for 924 yards and another seven scores. He remains one of the most dynamic offensive playmakers in football.

CMC's Revenge Game TD 😤

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Barkley can relate. The 28-year-old followed up last season's 2,005-yard campaign by rushing for 1,1140 yards and seven scores this season. It was a step back from a season ago, though the Eagles also limited his workload, handing him 65 fewer carries and 61 less touches overall than a season ago.

The goal, of course, is to have him healthy for the postseason as the Eagles look to repeat as champions. McCaffrey and San Francisco's dynamic offense is the first hurdle in that effort.