Saquon Barkley explains his views on a potential revenge game against the Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saquon Barkley turned from his locker room at the NovaCare Complex Wednesday afternoon toward a swarm of reporters eagerly waiting to speak with him.
Hi Saquon. How are you ?
“What’s new?” » Barkley said with a sheepish smile.
Oh, you know, nothing. Just your run-of-the-mill game. A former No. 2 overall pick and Pro Bowler returns to face the hated rival who drafted him No. 2 overall, gave him a franchise tag then let him leave in free agency in a saga that took place on national television.
“Let me guess what you want to ask,” Barkley continued.
Well, yeah.
As the Eagles began their preparations to face the New York Giants on Sunday in North Jersey, all eyes were on number 26. Barkley played the first six years of his career with the Giants and will be on the other side of the long-standing rivalry at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
For the most part, Barkley, 27, said all the right things Wednesday about not wanting to make this game bigger than it needs to be, that each a game on the NFL schedule is important. But he also didn’t try to BS anyone.
Of course, this game will be a little different for Barkley — on Wednesday afternoon, he said he’s still figuring out what it means for him.
“I think it’s more about the balance of how I want to attack,” said Barkley, who admitted that he had played a game more than he should have previously and that he Didn’t like the results. Barkley on Wednesday recalled a game a few years ago where he heard some doubters and wanted to have an “FU moment” and it didn’t work.
So this week is about accepting the emotion without inviting any of the negative aspects that could potentially accompany it.
“Yeah, it’s a balance,” Barkley said. “That’s the challenge of trying to do that.” I will do my best to make sure this does not impact me in a negative way. If anything, try to use it to lift me up.
“Let my competitive spirit guide me and just go out there and keep it basic: winning football games and going out there and playing with my teammates, going out there and playing with my guys. This week I’m also going to have guys from the other side of the ball, so it’ll make things more fun, talk a little more shit.
When asked what he expected from Giants fans this Sunday, Barkley said he didn’t expect to be booed. After all, even though he played on some bad Giants teams, it wasn’t like Barkley ever tried to leave town by force. He just wanted to be paid fairly.
After playing out the fifth-year option on his rookie contract in 2022, Barkley played on a franchise tag in 2023, then the Giants allowed him to leave in free agency this offseason. Some of these scenes from the offseason version of Hard Knocks went extremely viral.
“This rivalry is way bigger than what happened in the offseason between me and the Giants and Hard Knocks,” Barkley said. “This has been going on for a very long time. So I’ve been on the other side. I know how Giants fans feel. I don’t know what the environment will be like but I’m excited. As a player, as a competitor, you kind of welcome these environments and these moments. Either way, hopefully this will give me a little more juice and I can perform and help my team win.
After spending the first six seasons of his career with the Giants, Barkley has strong relationships in this building with players, coaches, staff, etc. He’s looking forward to meeting a group of people at MetLife this weekend.
There was a time not long ago in Barkley’s career when he thought he was going to be a giant for life. But the three-year, $37.75 million contract Howie Roseman gave Barkley in March brought him to Philadelphia.
Despite all that, he doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to the Giants on Sunday.
“No. I know my mindset on that,” Barkley said. “I have nothing to prove to them. I’m grateful for the opportunity given to this organization, to Jeffery (Lurie), to Howie (Roseman), to everyone who brought me here. So these are the people I have to prove it to. And my teammates. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to win. »
Even though Barkley is coming off his worst game of the season against the Browns last week, the signing has looked excellent through five games. Barkley already has 574 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns this season. Even at 27 years old and with a heavy workload, Barkley has been as advertised.
This will be the 186th meeting all-time between the Eagles and Giants and there have been many memorable games between these two teams, most notably in North Jersey.
Barkley will now have the chance to experience the rivalry from a different perspective.
“Yes, if you had asked me that question a year or two ago, I probably never would have imagined myself being on this side,” he said. “But I think it’s cool. It’s fun. The NFC East, I remember being in New York and we were talking about it, the importance of the NFC East to the NFL, the history of it. I think this is the only division in which every team has a Super Bowl. This game, this division is super fun.
“It’s great to walk the halls here and see the history and I want to be a part of it.” I would love to play or take part in one of these big games, especially on this side. I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can add another one to the win column this week.
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