NEW ORLEANS, La. — Saquon Barkley's first season as a Philadelphia Eagle just keeps getting sweeter.
At the NFL Honors Awards ceremony on Thursday night in New Orleans, Barkley was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year.
He garnered 35 total first-place votes and 406 points.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (183) placed second, followed by Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (171), Ravens running back Derrick Henry (92) and Bengals QB Joe Burrow (78).
Barkley was also nominated for the league's Most Valuable Player, which is rare for a running back. However, the honor ultimately went to Josh Allen, quarterback of the Buffalo Bills.
Barkley's OPOY award comes on the heels of an MVP-caliber season for the Coplay native, where he amassed over 2,000 rushing yards and broke the franchise's single-season rushing record.
He sat out in Week 18 despite being just 101 yards shy of breaking the single-season record held by Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,105 in 1984).
Barkely, a 2015 graduate of Whitehall High School, is the first Eagle to receive an award following linebacker Zack Baun losing the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award to Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
In a video message displayed on a screen at the Saenger Theatre (he could not physically be present due to his team's Super Bowl preparations), Barkley thanked his family, the Eagles organization and the Philadelphia fanbase.
"I would like to thank the fans of Philadelphia for being so welcoming to me and my family, especially being the newcomers," he said in the video.
He also paid tribute to the team's offensive line, known to Barkley as "the boys up front."
"'You can't be great without the greatness of others' is one of my favorite quotes," he said. "You definitely can't accomplish awards like this without the big boys up front."
A 2,000-yard season brought Barkley one piece of hardware on Thursday night.
On Sunday, he hopes to lift the Lombardi Trophy when his Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles.
Barkley has 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs. He needs 30 yards rushing in the Super Bowl to set the all-time single-season record, including the playoffs.
Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis had 2,476 yards rushing in 19 regular season and playoff games in 1998 for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
Barkley received 35 of 50 first-place votes for Player of the Year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
