Saquon Barkley got his best advice this offseason not during a practice or workout, but at the Met Gala.
Barkley was at the major annual fashion event at Metropolitan Museum of Art when he saw fellow guest Tom Brady. And he says Brady urged him not to take his Rookie of the Year award and think he’s arrived, but to consider it just a first step.
“It’s great to do it for one season, but can you do it for five? Can you do it for 10?” Barkley recalled Brady saying to him, via NJ.com. “I’m standing there at the Met Gala ready to run through a brick wall.”
Barkley said getting tips from veterans like Brady and Eli Manning has been important to his development.
“Sometimes you take it for granted,” Barkley said, “but to able to talk to legends that you’ve been watching for a very long time? Every day I talk to one with Eli. You don’t really take the time to cherish it. You are so caught up in the moment. Sometimes, you have to take a step back.”
Barkley is, at 22, 20 years younger than Brady. He knows there’s a lot of wisdom to be found from those conversations with older players.