Saquon Barkley may have won AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, but can the Philadelphia Eagles running back earn a spot on the “Hot Ones” Hall of Fame? Barkley joined host Sean Evans on the latest episode of First We Feast's popular YouTube series, which premiered on April 3. Barkley discussed the current state of sports media and the most fun celebrity Eagles fans all while putting his spice tolerance to the ultimate test.
When asked to share a stand-out moment he experienced when he first got drafted into the NFL, Barkley recalled what he described as the “most humbling moment of my life.” It involved former NFL All-Pro Julius Peppers.
“My rookie year we had a play. I broke it outside and it kind of got blown dead. I think there was a flag on it. And he had me like right here, like by my shoulder pads. And I’m like he’s trying me,” Barkley told Evans. “I tried to hit his arm down and it didn’t move. And I tried to hit it again and it didn’t move and I’m looking at him like alright bro, like come on, like let me go.
“And like that’s when I realized that there’s a difference between grown men strength and being strong in the weight room,” he continued. “That was probably my most humbling moment of my life, not just on the football field but as a man too.”
Barkley, while playing college football at Penn State, studied communications and broadcast journalism. He told Evans that he would give the current state of sports media a B+ grade: “Only because I think they’re doing a really good job of, you know, getting stories out there and communicating. But a lot of it’s just messy. And it’s something that when I go to that next step, I want to make sure I stay away from and make sure I’m not trying to say anything that’s clickbait.”
Barkley added, “I think it’s important especially if you’re in my profession of football, you use the opportunities to have fans get to learn and understand the game or maybe how free agency works, how trading works, the business of the NFL. Because the fans don’t see it that way and it is a crazy business.”
For most of his interview, Barkley maintained his composure and seemed unfazed by the increasingly spicy hot sauces. However, he did struggle with Wing No. 7, which had a Scoville level of 131,000.
Barkley told Evans that Bradley Cooper is a “diehard” Eagles fan and is always on the sidelines at games. Same with Gillie Da King, who became the team’s unofficial hype man during the 2024 season.
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Barkley said he enjoys seeing Philadelphia native Kevin Hart attend games from time to time. Evans noted that Hart reportedly spent millions of dollars on two real-life eagles, whom he named after Barkley and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“I hope that’s just PR and he’s doing a really good job. I hope he did not spend that money on eagles,” Barkley said, to which Evans replied, “He [Hart] said they’re territorial and they’ve actually pulled him off the ground before.”
“Yeah, I mean he’s a small human being and the eagles are really strong animals so I really wouldn’t be surprised,” Barkley said. “But if that’s real, I think I got to go meet them. I think I got to spend some time with them. Got to take a picture with Saquon for sure.”
Toward the end of his interview, Barkley revealed that his favorite football movie is “Remember the Titans.”
“I’m a weird crier with movies. Like I won’t cry after I won the Super Bowl. I didn't cry when my kids were born,” he said. “Kind of crazy to say out loud. But like if you give me a good movie, I’m a sucker for that.”
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