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After spending six seasons with the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants' NFC East rival, during the offseason. And while the act itself would typically be something to be angry about, it appears New York might be more upset about the way it happened.
Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million on March 11, but New York suspects the contract was done before then.
“The Giants weren't thrilled that the framework of a deal was reportedly done before the start of the free agent negotiating window, front office sources told ESPN,” Jordan Raanan and Tim McManus wrote. “The Eagles didn't understand why the Giants cared considering they weren't making a real push to re-sign the player they drafted No. 2 in the 2018 NFL draft.”
Whether the Giants did or didn't make a “real push” to bring back Barkley is up for debate. What we do know, thanks to ‘Hard Knocks' footage from the offseason, is that New York general manager Joe Schoen did have trepidation about re-signing Barkley and actually told Barkley's agent Ed Berry that the running back should test the market in free agency.
Schoen attempted to get Barkley to promise he would allow the Giants to match if given the chance, but when the Eagles reportedly swooped in, eager to replace the departing D'Andre Swift, Barkley felt comfortable enough to leave New York for Philadelphia.
Schoen's handling of the negotiations with Barkley has drawn criticism, and with the Giants now at the bottom of the NFC East with a 2-4 record, things may go from bad to worse for Schoen and his team.
With Barkley leading the way, the Eagles have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. Entering Week 7, Philadelphia is sixth in the league in rushing attempts, sixth in rushing yards, seventh in rushing touchdowns, and 10th in yards per attempt.
Conversely, the Giants have one of the worst run games leaguewide. After Barkley's departure, New York began the season with Devin Singletary as the featured back and has since turned to Tyrone Tracy after Singletary was sidelined with injury. The pair has combined for 429 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns through six games, less than Barkley's 482 yards and 7 total touchdowns in five games.
The Giants rank 24th in rushing yards, 27th in touchdowns, and 29th in yards per carry despite being just about league average in rushing attempts this year.
Barkley will make his return to MetLife Stadium this weekend. Kickoff between the Eagles and Giants is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
