Giants running back Saquon Barkley is among the best at his position in the NFL, and he will have several teams offering him once free agency opens later this month. One of those teams could be the Eagles, despite the fact that they don’t traditionally spend a lot on the running back spot.
But one Giants legend doesn’t want to see him sign their division rivals.
Tiki Barber, the leading rusher in Giants history, was a guest on WFAN radio in New York earlier this week, and he was asked about Barkley possibly signing with the Eagles in free agency.
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“The fact that Saquon would even contemplate going to play for that team in Philadelphia is insulting to his Giant history and legacy,” Barber said. Saquon may very well not be a New York Giant [in 2024]. I know that [Giants GM] Joe Schoen is having conversations, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s going to work out.”
“Go to Baltimore! Go to Houston! Go to L.A. Chargers! Do not go to the Philadelphia Eagles because if you do, that appreciation and respect and reverence that we all have for you, Saquon, will be lost. It will be gone.”
“We still want to respect and love him. If he goes to Houston, and he’s down there with C.J. Stroud and they do some great stuff, and hell, even wins a championship, we’ll feel happy for him. No matter what happens, what he does in Philadelphia, we will hate it.”
“You’re going to turn into one of those people that we hate, and we don’t want that. We don’t. We’ll respect you, but we’ll hate you, and that’s not a good thing. Your jersey, that 26 that we see all over the stadium, it won’t be worn anymore. It’ll be gone! It’ll be burned in some cases!”
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“Do not, without any doubt, go to Philadelphia.”
He seems to feel pretty strongly about this. Barber played his entire ten-year NFL career with the Giants, rushing for more than 10,000 yards and 55 touchdowns. He was selected to three Pro Bowls. His legacy is strong, although the team didn’t achieve much postseason success during his era. They went to the playoffs five times in his ten seasons, losing in the Wild Card round four times, and winning the NFC title once.
Barkley has made two Pro Bowls, rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 35 TDs, essentially in five seasons – he missed nearly all of 2020 with a knee injury. But a legacy? During his six seasons with Big Blue, the Giants are 34-64-1. They made the playoffs once, losing 38-7 to the Eagles in the 2022 Divisional Round.
Maybe Barber still bears a grudge because the last time he was on the football field, his season and career ended at Lincoln Financial Field, at the hands of Our Baby, Jeff Garcia, and the Eagles in the 2006 postseason.
Again, it’s doubtful that the Eagles would truly have interest in Barkley, considering his expected price tag. But as good as he has been for the Giants, I don’t think there’s much of a legacy to destroy.
Perhaps if management had given him a decent offensive line, as Barber had, Barkley and the Giants would have fared better, and he wouldn’t be running for the door.