Running back Saquon Barkley is one of the most popular New York Giants in recent memory.
Or should I say “was” one of the most popular.
It’s a sore subject for many, but Barkley ended up leaving the Giants in free agency to sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles signed him to a three-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.
Truthfully, that’s way more than most people think he’s deserving of.
While Barkley is a phenomenal leader and locker room presence, the fact of the matter is his NFL career has largely been a disappointment.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s still capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level when healthy … But staying healthy has been a major problem for Barkley.
Ever since being drafted by Big Blue with the second-overall pick back in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley has struggled mightily to stay healthy and effective.
Of course, it certainly didn’t help that he spent the majority of his Giants career running behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
To his credit, Barkley never complained and was nothing but a loyal soldier throughout.
However, when push came to shove, the Giants showed very little interest in resigning him.
This is why part of you can’t blame Barkley for heading down the turnpike to Philly.
What better way to “stick it” to the Giants than to sign with the hated Eagles??? (The money certainly didn’t hurt either.)
Perhaps the person most excited about bringing Barkley aboard is Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
Sirianni, who is in desperate need of a bounce-back season, thinks that Barkley can help take the Birds offense to a whole new level.
Always loving of some good old-fashion hatred and competition, Sirianni also enjoys the fact that adding Barkley takes the Giants-Eagles rivalry up a notch.
“Sometimes you see Giants fans around here – being so close. And they give me a good, ‘Hey, go Giants,” Sirianni recently said.
“I typically let it go, but if the [fan] gets me good enough, I usually say, ‘You know, we got your best player.'”
That comeback is perfectly on-brand for Sirianni, who loves to stir the pot.
Speaking of stirring the pot, Barkley himself shared a moment he had with his daughter when he broke the news to her that he was leaving the Giants for the Eagles.
“She knows there’s a lot of history in my career with the Eagles,” Barkley said. “When I told her that we’re going to be going to Philly, she kind of was just like, ‘Does that mean we’re going to win now?'”
Ouch.
Sirianni’s remarks about Barkley took a more serious turn as he reflected on the impact of having the dynamic running back on his side.
“Saquon. It’s really nice to see him in green,” Sirianni said. “It’s really nice to see him [here]. We missed a tackle on him the other day on the sidelines. Now, we’re not tackling [in OTAs], but you can tell without pads on you can tell if that guy made the tackle or not.
“I had visions back of him, like, Saquon making somebody miss and doing it again – it brought me back to that … I wasn’t happy that our defensive player missed the tackle on this particular play, but I’m really happy that Saquon, that #26 is on our side making the guy miss.”
What are your thoughts on Sirianni’s comments?
What about Barkley leaving the Giants for the Eagles of all teams? … That adds a nice spice to the rivalry, huh?
In the bigger picture, how many more years do you think Barkley has left at a truly high level?
Will he help the Eagles bounce-back this season and go on another Super Bowl run???