Philadelphia Eagles

Saquon Barkley won a Super Bowl title and the Offensive Player of the Year while nearly breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards this past season.

But the best is apparently yet to come.

Barkley took to social media Monday after helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl title and said the 2025 campaign will "probably be my best year."

At this point, who can argue with him?

While the Penn State product was always a dangerous playmaker during his first six years with the New York Giants, he elevated his game to another level in his first year in Philadelphia. He finished the regular season with 2,005 rushing yards, 278 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns and could have broken Dickerson's record if he played the last game.

His individual momentum didn't stop in the playoffs, as Barkley ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams and 118 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game win over the Washington Commanders.

If there is any room for improvement, it might be in the Super Bowl itself.

Barkley posted just 57 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry against the Kansas City Chiefs, although he also had six receptions for 40 yards in the aerial attack. He took a backseat at times to Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia defense, which he was surely fine with since it resulted in a Lombardi Trophy.

Maybe next season he will cap off a new individual best effort with a Super Bowl MVP.

Jameis Winston was thrilled to see Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown take his suggestion to do the cha-cha slide after scoring a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

"I told him to do that celebration... this is epic," Winston told comedian Bert Kreischer from the stands at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Winston continued: "I've just been on the Jumbotron, and I technically celebrated in the Eagles end zone. Let's go!"

Winston made his request to Brown when speaking with the Eagles wideout during media availability in Super Bowl week.

"I know that at family reunions, we talk about the cha-cha slide," Winston told Brown. "I want you to slide to the left, slide to the right, criss-cross, eat a W."

Brown and offensive tackle Mekhi Becton did exactly that after catching a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to put the Eagles ahead by 24 points in the second quarter.

After the Eagles' 40-22 championship win, Brown confirmed the celebration idea had come from Winston.

"We got it from Jameis," Brown told reporters. "Shoutout to Jameis."

Winston, who joined Fox Sports as a digital correspondent, could potentially be on track for a post-playing media career, should he decide to pursue it. For now, the quarterback will hit NFL free agency following the expiration of his contract with the Cleveland Browns.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII just two years ago in a game that generated headlines for the playing surface.

Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson took to social media in the months after that loss and suggested Philadelphia's defensive line would have dominated the game with a better playing surface.

Well, Gardner-Johnson kept the receipts and brought them out after helping lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl LIX title over the Chiefs on Sunday:

His prediction about the defensive line proved prescient, as the NFC representative generated a 38.1 percent pressure rate without blitzing during Sunday's win, per Next Gen Stats. Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and consistently chased out of the pocket, which made life particularly difficult on the Kansas City offense as it fell behind 40-6 before garbage-time scores made the final score 40-22.

Gardner-Johnson finished with three tackles, and fellow defensive back Cooper DeJean had a pick-six in the second quarter that largely started Philadelphia's onslaught.

It was much different than the matchup two years ago when the Chiefs won 38-35 as players from both teams struggled with their footing and slipped. Longtime groundskeeper George Toma criticized the way the field was prepared, and it became a talking point long after the game.

Fortunately for the Eagles, there were no excuses this time around.

They dominated from the start and left no doubt who the better team was all while preventing the Chiefs from making history as the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams reveled in denying the Kansas City Chiefs their place in NFL history.

Williams said he was "definitely" motivated by the general conversations around the Chiefs' three-peat bid.

"They were talking about getting the copyright and all that B.S." he said, per ESPN's Tim McManus. "Throw that s--t in the trash."

Defensive end Brandon Graham conveyed a similar sentiment.

"That was motivation because it was kind of a slap to us," he said. "It was like, they ain't seen us yet. So, we heard that all week. And when the game came, execution was on point and together."

Thanks to some incredibly savvy thinking by NBA coaching legend Pat Riley decades ago, any team's pursuit of three straight championships inevitably hits on the fact that the phrase "Three-Peat" and "3-Peat" officially trademarked. Their usage for commercial purposes requires Riley's approval.

Securing the necessary agreements needs to be done in advance in order to have championship apparel and memorabilia available as soon as a game is over. That meant the NFL prepared for the Chiefs' three-peat well before Super Bowl LIX.

It's no different than how the league produces hats and T-shirts for both teams competing in the Super Bowl, with half of that inventory never seeing the light of day in the United States.

But athletes and coaches never turn down a possible source of inspiration ahead of a big game. For the Eagles, hearing about the Chiefs' quest to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls weighed squarely on their minds.

The Philadelphia Eagles seem to keenly understand their fans care about championships, not balance sheets.

Following Philly's 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, The Athletic's Brooks Kubena wrote that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman partook in the team's locker room celebration, during which Future's "Lil Demon" played from the speakers. One line from that song is "Go platinum, f--k a budget."

Kubena laid out how "f--k a budget" has to some extent been Philadelphia's approach to building its roster.

The NFL is a hard-capped league, so it's not as though a team can spend its way to success in the same way you theoretically can in the NBA or MLB. But there is room to be more aggressive than your peers in the short term, and that's exactly what the Eagles have been.

The three-year contract they gave to Saquon Barkley is a prime example. At a time when a lot of teams are shying away from bigger multiyear deals for running backs in free agency, Philly didn't hesitate with Barkley, and he proceeded to perform at an MVP-type level.

Then there are the extensions the Eagles have paid out to players who were already on the roster. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson and offensive guard Landon Dickerson all have average salaries of at least $20 million.

The Chiefs, by comparison, have three players averaging $20 million or more.

Savvy drafting by Roseman and the front office has perfectly complemented the massive spending on proven talent.

Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both made immediate impacts as rookies this year, with DeJean getting a pick-six in the Super Bowl.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter has grown to become a game-wrecker as well. He had two hits on Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, which doesn't do justice to how much he influenced the contest.

Linebacker Zack Baun wasn't drafted by the Eagles, but his one-year, $3.5 million contract was one of the biggest bargains in the league as he went on to be an All-Pro.

There will come a time when Roseman has to make some difficult decisions with the current roster, choices that are largely fueled by financial concerns. But that day is not today.

For now, Roseman deserves all the credit for being the architect for what's clearly the NFL's strongest squad.

The blowout was on in Sunday's Super Bowl LIX as soon as the Philadelphia Eagles extended the lead over the Kansas City Chiefs to 17-0 in the second quarter with Cooper DeJean's pick-six, but the cornerback gave credit to his teammates after the win.

"The boys up front are some bad motherf--kers," DeJean said, per Brooks Kubena of The Athletic.

Kansas City scored 16 points in the final three minutes of Philadelphia's 40-22 victory when plenty of Eagles were already celebrating on the sidelines, so the game wasn't even as close as the 18-point deficit indicated.

And that was in large part due to Philadelphia's defense.

In addition to DeJean's pick-six, the NFC representative sacked Patrick Mahomes six times and made life miserable for the star quarterback throughout the contest. Zack Baun's interception deep in Kansas City territory also set up an Eagles touchdown, and the defensive line's ability to create pressure made it all the more difficult for any receivers to get open.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles didn't blitz a single time and still generated a 38.1 percent pressure rate.

Not even an offense with an all-time great at quarterback like Mahomes can do much against a defense that is creating pressure like that without sending any additional blitzers. DeJean and the rest of the secondary didn't have to cover the Chiefs' playmakers for long before Mahomes was scrambling or being taken down.

The cornerback had his starring moment with the pick-six, but he knew where the real credit went after the game.

It looks like the Philadelphia Eagles will be taking to the streets Friday to celebrate their 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

While the full details haven't been divulged, the Eagles teased on social media they'll parade the Vince Lombardi Trophy down Broad Street in four days:

Mother Nature might be forcing the team to push the festivities to later in the week. The weather forecasts are calling for between two and five inches of snow on Tuesday, so it could take a few days to clear off major roadways.

The Eagles and the city might be waiting to see the extent of the snowfall before they confirm the full details for the Super Bowl parade.

The event will presumably mirror the lively ceremony from 2018, which came after Philly took down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

On that occasion, the parade started at 11 a.m. ET and kicked off at the intersection of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in the shadow of Lincoln Financial Field. The procession moved down broad before veering over toward Philadelphia's Art Museum.

Beyond the logistical particulars, one of the bigger questions is whether former Eagles center Jason Kelce makes an appearance.

The six-time All-Pro provided the most iconic image from the team's last championship celebration. He delivered what was effectively a pro wrestling promo while dressed like a Mummer.

Even though he's no longer on the team, Kelce remains a beloved figure within the city, so we can't rule it out.

Jalen Hurts had a strong response for his haters after leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.

"I can't control what these people think but if it takes all the hating, all the scrutiny, all the different opinions for me to be a world champion, keep it coming," Hurts said after the game.

In addition to Hurts' three total touchdowns and 221 yards on Sunday, he earned Super Bowl MVP honors, further silencing his critics.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Hurts made it clear that he uses doubt as extra motivation.

"It's no secret," Hurts said to reporters.

Doubt has been a constant for Hurts, who has faced criticism since his rookie season in 2020. Over time, he has mastered turning those doubts into fuel for his performances.

"I don't play the game for stats. I don't play the game for numbers, any statistical approval from anyone else," Hurts said, per ESPN's Tim McManus. "And I understand that everyone has a preconceived notion on how they want it to look, or how they expect it to look. I told you guys that success is defined by that particular individual, and it's all relative to the person. And what I define it as is winning."

Hurts isn't the only one who thrives on being underestimated. His teammates know that's exactly what fuels him, and they've embraced that mentality to help push him even further.

"How about QB1, man? I love when people doubt him," left tackle Jordan Malta said, per McManus. "We always talk about limiting the outside noise or the white noise, whatever you want to call it. But I know he hears that and I think he plays his best when he feels like people doubt him."

The doubt clearly worked, for the Super Bowl MVP.