ClutchPoints
Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith would vote for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the MVP. The Hall of Fame back and three-time Super Bowl champion did not hesitate when asked if Barkley should be the MVP as he competes with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens two-time MVP Lamar Jackson for the award.
“Most definitely,” says Smith when asked if Barkley should win MVP. “We’re in a time where people say the running game doesn’t even exist anymore. Running backs are not even valued. And you have a kid that just rushed over 2,000 yards, a kid that rushed for not only 2,000 yards, he had a huge game in the NFC Championship.”
The MVP is purely a regular-season award, so the playoffs are not counted. But Barkley turned in one of the greatest rushing seasons in NFL history by becoming the ninth back to run for over 2,000 yards in a single season. He had the opportunity to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards but sat out the final week of the regular season with the Eagles having nothing to play for.
However, he’s considered the third betting favorite behind the likes of Allen and Jackson.
“Short-term memory,” says Smith when discussing how voters have seemed to forget that the Eagles were struggling prior to Barkley’s signing. “It goes and comes, but he single-handedly helped the Philadelphia Eagles get to where they are right now with his ability to rush over 2000 yards, and Kellen Moore did a great job in terms of putting him in a position to make the plays and make the runs that he did. They didn’t throw the ball all that effectively this year, but they didn’t show ran ball very effectively.”
Smith doubles down on how much value Barkley has brought to the Eagles and mentions how losing Barkley was a “curse” to his former team, the New York Giants. The Cowboys legend mentions how the prioritization of re-signing Daniel Jones to a major deal in 2023 — he has since been released — over giving Barkley a long-term deal has cost the Giants while benefiting the Eagles.
“Players make coaches look greats, and coaches have to put players in a position to make the plays and mmake things happen, whether it’s in the air or on the ground,” says Smith. “Having Saquon Barkley back there was a blessing and has been a blessing for the Philadelphia Eagles. Losing Saquon Barkley and keeping Daniel Jones was a curse to the New York Giants.”
It’s no secret that the MVP award has been a quarterback’s award over the past two decades, with only one running back — Adrian Peterson — having won the award since the 2007 season. Smith has an issue with voters leaning heavily towards voting quarterback because they place more value at the position rather than voting for the actual most valuable player in the NFL.
“If the voters are leaning heavily towards the...
