Saquon Barkley explains his view on potential revenge game vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saquon Barkley turned around from his locker stall at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday afternoon to a swarm of reporters eagerly awaiting to speak with him.
Hi Saquon. How’s it going?
“What’s up?” Barkley said with a sheepish grin.
Oh, you know — nothing. Just your run-of-the-mill game. A former No. 2 overall pick and Pro Bowler going back to face the hated rival that drafted him No. 2 overall, slapped a franchise tag on him and then let him leave in free agency in a saga that played out on national television.
“Let me guess what you guys want to ask,” Barkley continued.
Well, yeah.
As the Eagles began their preparations to play the New York Giants in North Jersey on Sunday, all eyes were on No. 26. Barkley played the first six years of his career with the Giants and will be on the other side of the longstanding rivalry at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
For the most part, the 27-year-old Barkley said all the right things on Wednesday about how he doesn’t want to make this game bigger than it needs to be, that every game on an NFL schedule is important. But he also didn’t try to BS anyone either.
Of course this game is going to be a little different for Barkley — as of Wednesday afternoon, he said he was still processing what it means to him.
“I think it’s more a balance of how I want to attack it,” said Barkley, who admitted he has made a game more than it should be before and didn’t like the results. Barkley on Wednesday remembered a game a few years ago when he heard some doubters and wanted to have an “FU moment” and it didn’t work out.
So this week is all about embracing the emotion without inviting any of the negatives that could potentially come with it.
“Yeah, that’s a balance,” Barkley said. “That’s the challenge, of trying to do that. I’m going to try my best to make sure it doesn’t impact me in a negative way. If anything, try to use it to lift me up.
“Let my competitive spirit drive me and go out there and keep the main thing the main thing: That’s win football games and go out there and play with my teammates, go out there and play with my guys. This week, I’m going to have some guys on the other side of the ball too, so it’s going to make it more fun, talk a little more crap.”
When asked about what he expects from Giants fans this Sunday, Barkley has said he doesn’t expect to be booed. After all, despite playing on some bad Giants teams, it wasn’t like Barkley ever tried to force his way out of town. He just wanted to be paid fairly.
After playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2022, Barkley played on a franchise tag in 2023 and then the Giants allowed him to leave in free agency this offseason. Some of those scenes from the offseason version of Hard Knocks went extremely viral.
“This rivalry is so much bigger than what happened in the offseason between me and the Giants and Hard Knocks,” Barkley said. “It’s 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 is going to be like but I’m excited. As a player, as a competitor, you kind of welcome those environments and those moments. Whatever it is, hopefully it gives me a little extra 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 that building with players, trainers, staffers, etc. He’s looking forward to catching up with a bunch of folks at MetLife this weekend.
There was a time not that long ago in Barkley’s career that he thought he was going to be a lifetime Giant. But the three-year, $37.75 million deal 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.
“Nah. I do know my mindset on that,” Barkley said. “I don’t have to prove anything to them. I’m thankful for the opportunity for this organization, to Jeffery (Lurie), to Howie (Roseman), to everybody getting me here. So that’s the people I have to prove it to. And my teammates. At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning.”
Although Barkley is coming off his worst game of the season against the Browns last week, the signing has looked like a great one through five games. Barkley already has 574 scrimmage yards and 5 touchdowns this season. Even at age 27 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 plenty of memorable games between these two teams, especially in North Jersey.
Now Barkley will get the chance to experience the rivalry from a different perspective.
“Yeah, if you would have asked me this question a year or two ago, I probably would have never expected to be on this side of it,” he said. “But I think it’s cool. It’s fun. The NFC East, I remember being in New York and we used to talk about it, how important the NFC East is to the NFL, the history of it. I think it’s the only division that every team has a Super Bowl. This game, this division is super fun.
“It’s awesome to walk in the hallways here and see the history of it and I want to be a part of it. I would love to make a play or be a part of one of those big games, especially on this side. I look forward to it and hopefully we can add another one in the win column this week.”
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