Saquon Barkley Leaves Giants to Join Bitter Rival Eagles
The Saquon Barkley era with the New York Giants has officially come to an end as the running back signed a three-year, $37.75 million dollar deal with the Giants' division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Former Giants RB Saquon Barkley reached agreement with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million contract that could be worth up to $46.75M and includes $26M fully guaranteed at signing, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Barkley now beats the franchise tag number and has a maximum… pic.twitter.com/d2TnEWhaQ0
The Giants selected Barkley second-overall in 2018 resulting in six years of high production with 7,311 yards and 47 touchdowns winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and two Pro Bowl appearances.
The Giants and Barkley failed to agree to a deal for years with the stud RB receiving the franchise tag last season rather than a long-term extension. The team chose to let Barkley test the open market losing him for good this time to the rival Eagles.
Barkley will go from one of the most beloved New York Giants to the most booed player the next three seasons when he returns to MetLife Stadium with his new team.
New York was put in a bad space in future negotiations the moment Dave Gettleman selected Barkley second overall in the NFL Draft. Barkley viewed himself as more than just a running back and rightfully so, accounting for a majority of the Giants offense during his time in New York.
The Giants now have a glaring hole at running back with the loss of Barkley one that they'll most likely address in the NFL Draft. Should the team look to sign a running back Derrick Henry, Zack Moss, Austin Ekeler, and AJ Dillon are the top names still on the market.
What's the Giants plan in 2024?
The biggest question now is what exactly is the Giants plan for the 2024 season. The team will have lost its top offensive playmaker while one of ititss best home grown pieces in Xavier McKinney appears headed out of New York as well.
The Giants refused to extend either player long term while also passing on tagging either player letting top-level talent leave for nothing. Joe Schoen certainly could have gotten decent draft capital at the trade deadline if he moved either McKinney or Barkley yet, chose to let them leave for nothing in return.
In other Giants news:
feed