Saquon Barkley just added recruiter to his job description. His target is LeBron James, and his sales pitch is the city of Philadelphia.
The Eagles running back was at his youth football camp at Haddonfield High School in New Jersey this week when reporters asked him about James’ free agency. Barkley did not shy away from it.
“I think it’s one of the greatest sports towns in the world,” Barkley told reporters. “If you want to go out with a bang, a great spot would be Philly. If you could bring a championship to Philadelphia, you’ll be remembered forever.”
Not a bad pitch. Especially coming from a guy who just did exactly that with the Eagles.
Barkley won the Super Bowl in his first season with Philadelphia after leaving the Giants. That was, without exaggeration, one of the greatest first-year performances a player has ever had with a new team. He became a fan favorite the second he stepped off the plane. He can absolutely speak to what winning a title in Philly does for a career.
He is also not the only one making calls. Steph Curry has reportedly reached out to James about pairing up in Golden State again. The Timberwolves have made their pitch. The Knicks are lurking. So are the Celtics. James basically told the Lakers he was done and threw the offseason into chaos.
Rich Paul has been the one publicly floating fits, and Philadelphia is one of the three cities he has named alongside New York and Boston. The Sixers make some sense on paper. Jaylen Brown is now in Philadelphia after the sign-and-trade that shook the East. Joel Embiid is healthy. Nick Nurse can coach.
The question is whether LeBron sees his final chapter next to Brown and Embiid. Embiid has never played in a Conference Finals. Brown just left a team he could not carry to a title alone. James is going to be picky about this decision because the wrong choice means his career ends on a first-round exit.
Philadelphia has never won a title with a superstar who was already 40. LeBron would be that guy. The pressure would be enormous. The reward would be a statue outside the Wells Fargo Center forever.
Saquon Barkley just sold that idea in one sentence. Now everyone waits to see if LeBron listens.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
