If you’re wondering how the New York Giants feel about former teammate and superstar Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, let us sum it up for you: They really, really miss him.
Like crying emojis and broken hearts emojis miss him.
Several Giants — some on the record and some off — opened up to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan about the all-encompassing positive impacts Barkley had on their team over his first 6 seasons in the NFL and ahead of facing the Eagles in the Week 18 regular season finale.
Barkley won’t play against the Giants as to not risk injury with the Eagles having clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC Playoffs regardless of the outcome of the final game.
In the first meeting between the 2 teams on October 20 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Barkley shredded his old teammates for 176 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries in a 28-3 win. Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season in a Week 17 blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys.
“A handful of players told ESPN recently that the veteran running back’s presence was integral in helping keep the Giants together through a difficult 2023 season,” Raanan wrote on January 2. “After making the playoffs the previous year, the Giants were 2-8 when (Tommy) DeVito stepped in as the starter for injured quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. They kept it together enough to win three straight games and finish 6-11.”
The Giants are 3-13 and snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 45-33 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17.
Giants Whiffed on Picking Barkley No. 2 Overall
As great as Barkley was at times during his 6 seasons with the Giants and as brilliant as he’s been with the Eagles in 2024, it’s impossible to say he wasn’t the wrong pick when he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL draft out of Penn State.
That’s because the Giants, with an aging Eli Manning at quarterback, whiffed on picking 2 players who could have changed the fortunes of their franchise and were also first-round selections — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (No. 7 overall) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback and 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson (No. 32 overall).
While Barkley was a sensation as a rookie with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage on the way to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, he missed 3 games with a high ankle sprain in 2019 and missed all but 2 games of the 2020 season when he tore his ACL in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
After the 2023 season, the Giants decided the price for Barkley was too rich for their taste and he signed a 3-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles and proceeded to have one of the greatest seasons for a running back in NFL history.
Barkley’s Brilliance With the Eagles
Barkley has turned out to be the missing piece for the Eagles after they started the 2023 season 10-1 but finished 10-6 and were eliminated in the NFC Wild Card Round after making it to the Super Bowl the previous season.
“New York, meanwhile, had some leaders calling the team’s effort ‘soft’ by Week 12, unconvinced everybody was giving 100%,” Raanan wrote. “It left a good chunk of players feeling that Barkley’s presence in the locker room was underestimated by the Giants’ brass.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Former Teammates Deliver Clear Message on Eagles RB Saquon Barkley appeared first on Heavy Sports.