Saquon Barkley clearly had revenge on his mind when signing with Eagles

With HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series chronicling the New York Giants offseason, there has been a lot revealed regarding the organization’s view on former running back Saquon Barkley.

In his six years in the Meadowlands, Barkley often carried a lackluster offensive roster into scoring position. Yet, Giants general manager Joe Schoen seemed determined to put his faith in quarterback Daniel Jones rather than in Barkley. Jones was signed to a massive four-year, $160 million contract extension after the 2022 season, while Barkley’s efforts were rewarded with just a franchise tag. This offseason, Schoen didn’t believe the running back would get a significant offer in free agency and allowed him to test the open market.

Barkley ultimately signed a three-year, $37.7 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. The contract carries an average annual value of $12.5 million — higher than Schoen expected Barkley to receive.

Saquon Barkley felt disrespected by Giants before signing with Eagles

With the Giants’ perspective on the contract negotiations playing out on HBO, Barkley decided to discuss his side of the story with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on the “Scoop City” podcast.

The running back clearly isn’t happy with how he was treated by the Giants organization, and noted that he felt disrespected when he was told to test the market.

“It was kind of a little disrespectful, to be honest,” Barkley said. “It’s kind of like a slap in the face like, ‘You go see what you are worth, and then if you’re worth that, we’ll see if you’re worth it, and maybe we’ll match it.’”

For Barkley, that was when he knew he wouldn’t be returning to New York for the 2024 season.

“It was over after that phone call, in my opinion,” Barkley said. “It was over after that because I never in my heart truly believed they were going to match it, or they only wanted me for a lower price.”

Barkley was primed to have a fairytale career in New York. He was a Bronx native who was drafted by his hometown team. Off the field, he became a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his community work and a five-time team captain for his leadership in the locker room. On the field, he ran with a style that was reminiscent of Barry Sanders, and he made his presence felt from the moment he touched the ball. Barkley set a rookie record with 91 receptions and logged seven games with 100-plus rushing yards en route to being named the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

According to Barkley, he barely had any conversations with the Giants in the months leading up to free agency. He claimed that he talked to the team once after the season and then again during the phone call seen on “Hard Knocks.”

“They really weren’t in play,” Barkley explained to Russini. “When you look at ‘Hard Knocks,’ it [makes it] seem like, ‘Oh, this was a thing that was going on every single day,’ but it really wasn’t.”

Barkley played down any notion of revenge against his former team.

“The competitor in me wants to go there and go crazy, but what do I get?” Barkley said. “You know, I mean if I go out there and play well, like play really well, what do I get at the end of day? The most important thing is about winning.”

In 2023, Barkley was responsible for 10 of the team’s 25 offensive touchdowns. He found that success behind a Giants offensive line that was ranked as the second-worst unit in the league by ESPN’s run-block win rate metric. In Philadelphia, Barkley will have a much better supporting cast. The Eagles’ run-blocking was graded as the best unit in the league in 2023 and the second-best unit in 2022.

Barkley will have his first chance at revenge when the Eagles face the Giants in a Week 7 matchup on October 20 at MetLife Stadium.