Eagles’ Saquon Barkley talks ‘tush push,’ fatherhood and giving back

Saquon Barkley says the Philadelphia Eagles are ready to keep nudging opponents backwards with their controversial play dubbed the “tush push.”

“They haven’t taken it away yet, and we’re gonna continue to use that as a weapon, and continue to help us win games,” the star Philadelphia Eagles running back said in a wide-ranging exclusive interview with “Good Morning America’s” Rhiannon Ally, which aired Friday morning.

Barkley also asked critics of the short-yardage play, “What’s not to like about it?”

The star running back ultimately conceded that he knows the undefeated Eagles would need to be a bit more careful about how they executed the play.

“We know now they’re probably going to be a little more cautious because they’re trying to say that we’re offsides or, people’s going to try to pick little stuff because the play is super successful. But everyone can do it,” said Barkley, adding that, “Everyone can’t do it as well as the Philadelphia Eagles do it.”

Barkley spoke with “Good Morning America” as he teamed up with pizza company Little Caesars to deliver pizzas to patients from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Barkley is a spokesperson for Little Caesars, and is promoting the pizza chain’s new Cheesesteak Crazy Puffs and Ultimate Cheesesteak Pizza menu options.

Barkley said his favorite part of the charity events, such as the pizza delivery, is seeing the kids’ reactions.

“I think it’s cool that I’m able to play a football game and run the ball well. And with that gift that was given to me, I’m able to be an impact on some people’s lives,” said Barkley.

The running back also opened up about fatherhood and how he works to balance family responsibilities amid the all-consuming demands of the football season.

“Hopefully, my kids would say I’m a great dad,” Barkley said. “It’s hard to be a great dad during football season.”

Barkley is a father to two children whom he shares with fiancée Anna Congdon: Saquon Jr., who was born in 2022, and Jada, who was born in 2018.

Although balancing the two priorities is difficult, Barkley said there’s no question what takes priority in his life. “I want to be a great football player, but … When you have those kids and you see those kids grow up, you realize that there’s so much more important things in this world than how well you run a football,” he said.

Barkley said he appreciates the many successes he’s seen come his way in his 28 years of life, including fatherhood and getting paid “a lot of money” to play “a child’s game.”

The Eagles and Barkley have picked up the 2025 NFL season exactly where they left off as Super Bowl champions, winning their first two games of the season, beating the Dallas Cowboys and their former Super Bowl opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Barkley logged a touchdown in each of the first two games.

The Eagles will continue their undefeated bid as they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Philadelphia this Sunday.