Before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency this offseason, running back Saquon Barkley said on Thursday night that the New York Giants had never extended a formal contract offer to him.
At Game 6 of the Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks NBA first-round playoff series, which the Knicks won to eliminate the Sixers, Barkley was spotted in the Philadelphia crowd on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Centre.
Following the match, Barkley posted the following on X: “It’s been two months. Lol, you can’t possibly be this angry! Not even a basketball game will do for Mf.” When one of his fans said that Barkley “bailed” on New York, Barkley responded as follows:
The Giants’ NFC East opponents, the Eagles, benefited from the Giants’ failure to extend a contract offer to Barkley, as the latter signed him to a $37.75 million, three-year contract.
In a later post, Barkley compounded the harm to Giants supporters by expressing his excitement to play in front of Eagles supporters after experiencing the postseason atmosphere at the Sixers game:
Although the 27-year-old Barkley was raised in Pennsylvania and went to Penn State University, he was born in the Bronx, New York.
Barkley was selected by the Giants with the second overall choice in the 2018 NFL draft, following a stellar collegiate career, and that decision has already paid off.
In his debut, Barkley amassed 1,307 yards.
Barkley was crippled by injuries over the following three seasons, but in 2022 he finally recovered, rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and ten touchdowns, which earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.
Fans then pushed for Barkley to sign a contract extension, but New York chose to apply the franchise tag to him. Barkley chose to sign a one-year, $10.091 million contract with the Giants, which includes $909,000 in incentives, as opposed to accepting the franchise tender.
Poor quarterback play was a major factor in the Giants’ 2023 decline from one of the NFL’s worst teams to a surprising playoff team in 2022.
Although he still managed to rush for 962 yards and six touchdowns and make 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games, Barkley’s output also declined significantly.
In the process of signing Barkley in free agency after negotiations between the Giants and him broke down, the Eagles let D’Andre Swift sign with the Chicago Bears.
Over the last two seasons, both Swift and Miles Sanders have had career-best seasons, demonstrating the importance of the running game to Philly’s recent success.
Barkley is able to take a comparable action if
