Heading into the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 7 game against the New York Giants, the biggest storyline fans were watching was Saquon Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go particularly well for the G-Men, as Barkley had his second-best game as a professional and single-handedly outscored his former team as a rusher/receiver. The Giants couldn’t get anything done down the field, couldn’t slow down Vic Fangio’s pass rush and their passing game was so bad that Daniel Jones, a New York player prioritized over Barkley, was benched for Drew Locke.
So naturally, Barkley had to fly high, right? Excited to really stick with the team that didn’t give him a fair deal and effectively forced him to take his talents back to Keystone State? No, because during an appearance on The pivotal podcastBarkley revealed his much more guarded view of the situation, as he reportedly did approached the situation in the same way it didn’t matter who he was playing against.
“What’s in it for me?” We’ll move on to next week, no matter what. They play the Steelers, they play them Monday night, they still have to prepare for Pittsburgh, and I still have to prepare for Cincinnati,” Barkley explained. “I don’t get anything out of it, I’m not playing this game for pats on the back, or you’re really talking to them. I play this game because I want to be great, I want to be mentioned among all these guys up there. It wasn’t like, “Hey, look at me,” it’s business. This is what I do, this is the type of player I am, this is a player I will continue to be.
Pretty mature stuff from a player that no one would blame for being a little arrogant, right? Well, wait, it gets even better, because Barkley still had plenty to say on the high road.
Saquon Barkley is happy to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles
Discussing the matter further, Barkley revealed why he has no ill will toward the Giants, as even though his free agency came out very publicly for the world to see. Hard knockshe finally got what he wanted through free agency.
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“I’m not going to let it go just because someone out there took advantage of a TV show to try to play me,” Barkley said. “There is part of that, you see, but my brother, I am happy, I smile, my family is good, I got the contract that I want. I am where I want to be; I’m where I’m supposed to be at the right time. So I’m not even going to give that energy to this person or any of these people.
Regardless of how the Eagles play out the 2024 NFL season, it’s clear that the acquisition of Barkley has been a true boon, with PSU’s pride paying off in spectacular fashion in seven games. Even if Barkley wants to keep things professional by focusing on Philadelphia’s future rather than his Giants’ past, each marquee effort, massive run or player of the week honor will only further highlight how important New York is handling this situation poorly, especially given his free agency. returning, Devin Singletary, has only 239 yards to his credit this season.
