Was Saquon Barkley Statement Game A Middle Finger To The Giants? Not So Fast

It isn't always the way it looks and that certainly is true with Saquon Barkley and his stellar debut for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley's three-touchdown performance, which came wrapped in a 109-yard rushing performance, looked like a statement. 

It looked as if he was announcing some sort of newfound dominance with his new team. It might have seemed he was motivated by letting his old team know that it had made a terrible mistake letting him go in the offseason.

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 6: Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during an NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles on September 6, 2024, at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Leandro Bernardes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A Message From Saquon Barkley

But to listen to Barkley after his Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, 34-29, that's not how it was at all.

A message to the Giants that seemed like a middle-finger salute?

Nope.

What if I told you Barkley, who played six seasons for the Giants and left in free agency last spring, wasn't thinking about making the Giants feel ill.

"I don't look at it like that," Barkley said. "I just look at it as an opportunity to play the game I love. That, all the B.S. aside, I could just go out there like a little kid and play football. That's my main focus."

Barkley will play the Giants twice every year he's on the Eagles. But after this game all he recalled is the relationship he built in New York – including with coach Brian Daboll.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 18: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants looks on with head coach Brian Daboll during the second half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on August 18, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants won 21-19. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Barkley And Daboll Speak

"I'm thankful for the last six years I had in New York," Barkley said. "I wouldn't be the man I am today without it. And I still have great relationships with all those guys. 

"I even talked to Daboll today. He wished me luck. I still have a great relationship with those guys."

So much for the angry player seeks revenge narrative.

Having said that, Barkley is on a new journey. (Yeah, mostly to the end zone if this game is an indication). And he's happy about that.

How can he not be happy after scoring two rushing touchdowns and catching a touchdown pass – the NFL equivalent of a Hat Trick.

"A Hat Trick is never a bad thing," Barkley said.

And then humble Saquon kicked in. 

(We pause here to say, this dude is genuinely a nice guy.)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - SEPTEMBER 06: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Arena Corinthians on September 06, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)

Most TDs By An Eagle Since 2004

And the nice guy who delivered the most TDs in a game by an Eagle since Terrell Owens in a 2004 game, seemed to want to focus on what he could do better.

"There's so much that I can do," Barkley said. "That's the kind of player that I am, and I'm always going to be like that. So I'll go back and watch film and obviously there's a lot of good, but I'll see a lot of bad in there, too. 

"I've got to do better in four-minute situations, obviously as a team, but as a running back you have to take pride in that. And I don't think I was too great in that scenario this game."

Look, it's a long season. Barkley will definitely not score three touchdowns every game, sources tell OutKick.

There will likely be moments he struggles and there will be games he looks every bit one of the NFL's finest running backs.

And now we know that when the media says he's doing it to prove to the Giants they made a horrible personnel blunder, well, that isn't true.