Saquon Barkley Admits He Botched 'Farewell' To Giants Fans
Giants fans tore Saquon Barkley a new one after the former NY running back left on a messy note to play for the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Snakequon" Barkley went to the Giants' prime rival, and Barkley had strong words for fans who disagreed with his move, including Giants legend Tiki Barber.
After letting the dust settle from the signing, Barkley acknowledged that he botched his farewell to Giants fans.
Introduced as an Eagle on Thursday, Saquon Barkley spoke to the media and addressed the sour exchanges he shared with Giants fans.
"I got nothing but love and respect," Barkley said. "I don't think I handled it the right way on social media, I could've given a proper goodbye...I'm forever grateful for the Giants fans."
Apology or not, Barkley's "dead" to a large part of Big Blue Nation.
Barkley took the gloves off after legendary running back Tiki Barber criticized Saquon Barkley for leaving the Giants in favor of the Eagles. Barber called Saquon a traitor, to which Barkley responded, throwing a stray shot at fans who disagreed with his move.
"@tikibarber Lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team," Barkley posted on X, referencing Barber's critiques. "I got the deal I wanted, secured more gm which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs."
Opting to leave for money was one thing; leaving for an intra-divisional opponent clearly communicated that Barkley was done with the Giants in a vindictive manner.
The Giants front office was reticent on offering Barkley a bigger contract, suggesting that Saquon's impact — despite being a premium player — wasn't worth a chunk of the team's salary.
Despite losing Barkley, Giants general manager Joe Schoen redeemed himself with fans courtesy of a monster trade for elite pass rusher Brian Burns on Monday.
Giving Burns a $150 million contract extension landed better with Giants fans in comparison to handing Saquon more than $12.5 million a year, which the Eagles offered Barkley.
New York franchise-tagged Saquon Barkley last season, giving the running back a fully guaranteed $10 million deal. Was the $2.5 million annual bump worth betraying the Giants? And if so, did Barkley not receive similar offers from a team not named the Eagles? Highly doubtful … which is why Barkley's viewed as a "turncoat."
After six seasons, Barkley's legacy will be an ephemeral part of Giants history now that he's in Philly. The final remnants of Barkley's legacy will be swept away entirely if Barkley becomes a "Giants killer" akin to Boston Scott.
Last season, Barkley amassed 962 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns, adding 280 receiving yards.
Don't expect any cheers for Snakequon when he arrives at MetLife Stadium next season. That is, unless the place is overrun by Eagles fans, which it usually is …
Follow along on X:@AlejandroAveela