After beginning their careers in New York, Saquon Barkley and Quinnen Williams will be facing off in their first-ever game away from the Giants, Jets, and MetLife Stadium, in an NFC East showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

For Barkley, leaving New York behind for the Eagles has been nothing short of a stroke of brilliance, as even in this, a down year versus his 2024 standards, he's still a Super Bowl champion and had an offseason filled with accolades, awards, and Madden covers. And though the sample size may be small, the move to Dallas has done wonders for Williams, too, as he's already doubled his sack total on the season in one game, and is suddenly on a team that could theoretically make the playoffs, even if the odds aren't amazing.

And yet, as the Eagles prepare to take on the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, Barkley can't help but think that the Jets made a mistake letting Williams go, even if it could be Philadelphia's loss on Sunday.

Article Continues Below

“He’s a heck of a player. I don’t know why New York traded him, to be honest, but I’m not gonna get into all that,” Barkley said via The Athletic's Jon Machota. “Sadly, he’s in Dallas. But I love our guys, so I love that matchup. It’s going to be a tough matchup, something we gotta keep an eye out for, but they have great players at all three levels.”

On one hand, the Jets have been a very bad team for a very long time, and loading up on premium picks would be a very good idea if used correctly on premium players and a new franchise quarterback. And yet, fans were saying the very same thing about Quinnen Williams when he was drafted high, and the team effectively wasted his prime with the exact same issues. For Williams' sake, getting out of New York may be just what the doctor ordered for his legacy, just like a move to Philadelphia was for Barkley.