Barkley Set to Make His Return to the Meadowlands
Photo Credit: Giants.com
On October 20, the New York Giants will host the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. While this is a classic showdown between two NFC East rivals, there is another huge storyline coming into this game:
The return of Saquon Barkley.
Barkley was drafted by the Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. During his tenure with the team, Barkley was able to rack up 7,311 total yards to go along with 47 touchdowns. He finished his time in New York as the fourth leading rusher in franchise history, and was on his way to becoming a Giants Ring of Honor member. He even stated multiple times that he “wants to be a Giant for life,”. That was until free agency hit back in March and Barkley became a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
In all fairness to Barkley, the Giants didn’t offer him a contract this offseason. Giants General Manager, Joe Schoen, proposed one the year prior but Barkley turned it down due to the guarantees not being enough. The now seventh-year running back took the contract that felt most beneficial to him, and it just so happened to be with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo Credit: NFL on X
Of course that started a lot of controversy at the time; mostly among Giants fans. How could he leave the team that he was always so loyal to? Better yet, how could he go to the Giants biggest rival?
Even Tiki Barber, arguably the greatest Giants running back of all time, got in on the “fun”, saying the following while on air during his WFAN radio show:
“He’s dead to us now. You’re dead to us Saquon. Good luck, you’re dead to me.”
Barkley responded to the comments on social media, which started even more controversy, so overall, it was an intense offseason between him and the Giants. Flash forward to Week 7 of the NFL regular season, and Barkley looks like an Offensive Player of the Year candidate with the Eagles. He is coming into his matchup against the Giants as the fourth leading rusher in the NFL (even while playing one less game due to Philadelphia’s bye week).
This could be the “Barkley Show” as the Giants run defense hasn’t been anything special this year. However, with the pass rush that New York has between Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns, it is going to be incredibly difficult for the Eagles to perform well on offense.
As far as Barkley’s concerned when it comes to facing his former teammates and fans?
“Maybe I’m naive, but I think it’s over. That chapter’s closed. I truly don’t care no more, and I’m pretty sure fans don’t care no more.”
Barkley doesn’t seem to think that he is going to get booed while at MetLife. However, that is almost the exact opposite of what will happen, as Giants fans have already stated that there is “no water under this bridge”.
When Dexter Lawrence was asked about going up against his Barkley, the superstar nose tackle said the following:
“I appreciate what he did for this organization and who he was as a teammate and a person to me, most importantly. But Sunday is a war and he knows that.”
Will Barkley get to showcase his talents against his former fanbase? Or will the Giants defense prove why New York didn’t offer him a contract this offseason? Only one thing is for sure at the moment; this is going to be must see TV.