Neither Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley nor members of his family have been shy about taking some shots at the New York Giants regarding the Giants letting Barkley reach free agency last March.
Barkley is now on track to make his first Super Bowl appearance this coming Sunday. On Monday night, he addressed Giants fans who rooted for him from the 2018 NFL Draft through Week 18 of the 2023 season.
"My message to Giants fans would be there is nothing but love," Barkley said, The Athletic's RJ Kraft shared. "I’d be naive to think they weren’t supportive to me over the last six years. Obviously, a few of them were disappointed with my decision but the way I look at it, all the things that happened over there and the love I have for them is the reason I am able to have the success I am having now. Just thankful for all those people over there."
Barkley played in just two playoff games and one postseason win during his Giants tenure before Big Blue general manager Joe Schoen let the 27-year-old test the open market last offseason. It's now known Schoen never truly considered matching the three-year, $37.75M deal that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed that Barkley received to make the move from the Giants to the Eagles in March 2024.
Barkley has since become a finalist for the AP Offensive Player of the Year and regular-season Most Valuable Player Awards en route to cementing his status as one of the greatest offseason acquisitions in Eagles franchise history. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the ball carrier second among the betting favorites at +260 odds to claim Super Bowl LIX MVP Award honors. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes topped the list at +120 odds.
"It means everything," Barkley said about going from the Giants to the Eagles, per NFL.com's Nick Shook. "You're going to have ups and downs, but it's who you are in those moments, and I never lost faith and I just kept my head down and kept working, and was able to get here and be able to surround myself with unbelievable individuals. When you're able to do that, you're able to have a lot of success."
Many Giants fans understood Schoen not overpaying to hold onto a veteran running back with a worrisome injury history 11 months ago. However, some of those same supporters may be second-guessing such takes if Barkley gets his hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy inside the Caesars Superdome.
