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Kenny Pickett and Saquon Barkley: Two Philadelphia Eagles for whom Super Bowl 2025 win means most
Kenny Pickett and Saquon Barkley were discarded after the 2023 season by their previous teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants respectively.
Kenny Pickett and Saquon Barkley were discarded at the end of the 2023 season by their previous teams. Both of them ended up with the Philadelphia Eagles and a year later, they are the Super Bowl 2025 champions.
Pickett, born and brought up in New Jersey, grew up as an Eagles fan. But as fate would have it, he ended up starting his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The last time the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, he was still a student at the University of Pittsburgh. He celebrated the win with his friends but was late for it.
“I got there late. I didn’t really know that was happening. I saw all the videos, so then we walked down to see it and they were clearing everyone out. We missed the cool part of it,” he was quoted by the Inquirer as saying.
Pickett went to the Steelers in 2022, becoming their starter. But they moved on from him in just two years for Russell Wilson.
The QB landed in Philly as Jalen Hurts’ backup. His victory formation late in the fourth quarter sealed off a dominant Eagles Super Bowl win after head coach Nick Siriani put him in for the final snaps.
While Hurts became the Super Bowl 2025 MVP after lifting the Lombardi trophy post the team's win against the Kansas City Chiefs, Pickett would be happy that he wasn't late for the celebration this time.
Saquon Barkley: A ‘Giant’ who had to wait to be an Eagle to touch heights
Another takeaway from the Super Bowl 2025 was the redemption of running back Saquon Barkley.
The Bronx native was picked number 2 by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft. While he did show flashes of his brilliance during his time there, he could never get going. The team moved him on after the 2023 season. According to Barkley, he was ‘fed up’ with the negotiations with the Giants and called their approach ‘a little disrespectful’, according to NFL.com.
He played the previous season on a franchise tag and the team did not want to give him the contract he wanted.
After being asked to ‘prove his value in the open market’, Barkley signed a three-year deal with the Eagles worth $37.75 million. It could well rise to $46.75 million with bonuses.
After joining the team, Barkley played like he had a point to prove, becoming the NFL rushing yards leader for the 2024 season. He broke the single-season record for rushing yards, playoffs included, and also gained the most yards in history in a single season from scrimmage.
Barkley was named the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and went on to win the Super Bowl, something the Giants haven't done since Eli Manning won it for them in 2012. Talk about proving ‘his value’.
