It’s no secret that Saquon Barkley wanted to finish this offseason after testing free agency for the first time in his career.
If general manager Joe Schoen and the New York Giants really wanted to keep Barkley, they would have offered him a multi-year contract with an average annual value of at least $12 million per season. Instead, the giants never made a formal offer to Barkley before bolting for the Philadelphia Eagles, hated NFC East rivals.
Barkley will face his former team at MetLife Stadium for the first time on Sunday when the Eagles take on the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey (1 p.m. EST).
The returning star spoke at length with journalists at his locker Wednesday, discussing his experiences with the Giants, his expectations for Sunday and how he thinks fans will react to his return as an Eagle. He also discussed New York’s thriving defense, dropping a subtle comment about new passer Brian Burns that was…interesting to say the least.
First, Barkley named his former teammate and longtime friend, Dexter Lawrence, as the best defensive player in the NFL. No surprises there. Barkley has spoken regularly about his former Giants teammates this season, and it’s highly unlikely that the Eagles’ best defensive player — rookie Quinyon Mitchell — will be an exception.
Barkley also mentioned Burns, whom the Giants acquired from the Carolina Panthers and paid handsomely for – immediately signing him to a five-year, $150 million extension – two days before Barkley signed with Philadelphia .
“They brought Burns in and paid him a lot of money,” Barkley said. “He plays at a high level.”
Saquon Barkley calls Dexter Lawrence ‘best defensive player in the league’ while giving credit to Giants defense pic.twitter.com/9dmW3eckvZ
– Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) October 16, 2024
There was nothing malicious in Barkley’s speech or tone. It’s just a bit of a coincidence – or a Freudian slip, perhaps? — that he would mention the massive contract extension that likely prevented him from finishing his career with the franchise that drafted him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Hey, it’s all water under the bridge now. Barkley got the contract he wanted and deserved from the Eagles. He is now on the other side of the rivalry. And while the reception from the MetLife Stadium faithful won’t be pleasant on Sunday, it will have the last laugh if Philly leaves with a W.
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