What if Steven Jackson had left the Rams like Saquon Barkley left the Giants?
One of the biggest offseason moves of 2024 was the Philadelphia Eagles signing Saquon Barkley as a free agent from the New York Giants. It’s a move that worked out brilliantly for both sides as the Eagles added a star running back to an elite rushing attack while Barkley inserted himself into a better environment. The running back out of Penn State had always been seen as talented. However, the Giants were wasting that talent as Barkley made the playoffs one time in his first six seasons.
It’s a story and career path that Los Angeles Rams fans should be very familiar with. Former running back Steven Jackson made the playoffs one time during his rookie season with the Rams. While Jackson racked up impressive stats, he will never be seen as anything more than a good player on a bad team. There’s no questioning that the lack of team success severely hurt Jackson’s legacy.
The Athletic recently touched on this and mentioned other players who would get more recognition in better situations. Jacob Robinson of The Athletic said,
“Had the legendary running back not spent his prime on the inept mid-2000s Rams, he would surely be in the Hall of Fame. From 2005 to 2012, he ran for 1,000-plus yards in eight consecutive seasons, making him one of only six running backs to accomplish that feat. The other five? Hall of Famers. He’s also the only player to ever produce a season with 1,500 rushing yards and 800 receiving…but they wasted his prime. In nine St. Louis years, his teams never went better than 8-8. He had six different head coaches. He totaled only 19 playoff carries. No celebratory beers were shotgunned. Because he spent his 20s playing for annually mediocre teams, whenever thoughts about Canton arise, he has to “just block it out.” That’s a shame.”
By joining the Eagles and not signing for loyalty, Barkley avoids that and will get a chance to be recognized for the great player that he is. In his first season with the Eagles, Barkley broke rushing records and won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. There came a point when Barkley knew that he was only going to waste his career in New York.
That’s not something that Jackson was ever able to do. Rather than leaving, Jackson signed a six-year contract extension in 2008. By the time he finally left the Rams, Jackson was 30 and had been run into the ground by a struggling franchise. Had Jackson left after his rookie contract, he would have still been in the middle of his prime. Instead, following a season in which the Rams went 3-13, Jackson opted to stay. In the first year of Jackson’s new deal, the Rams went 2-14.
This isn’t to say that what Jackson did wasn’t commendable. He will go down as one of the best running backs in Rams history. However, what if he had signed with the New England Patriots instead of Fred Taylor. Could Jackson have been the missing piece to help them win a Super Bowl in 2011 or 2012?
What Derrick Henry experienced in Baltimore this past season and what Barkley experienced with the Giant is what everybody wanted for Jackson when he left for the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, Jackson went down as one of the bigger free agent busts of the 2013 offseason.
It’s unlikely that Jackson will ever get Hall of Fame recognition. The Rams are a big reason for that as they were never able to surround him with a competent coaching staff or offense. Had Jackson done what Barkley did this past offseason, his legacy might be seen slightly differently.
