Saquon Barkley was the second overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie season with the New York Giants with 1,307 rushing yards and became a fan favorite.
But Barkley’s representatives and the Giants front office were not able to reach an agreement on a contract extension in the offseason. Barkley entered the free agent market for the first time in his career and signed with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
This Sunday, Barkley will likely no longer be considered a favorite among the Giants’ faithful when he returns to MetLife Stadium. It will be the first time Barkley plays there as an Eagle.
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Although Barkley will emerge from the visitors’ locker room and take the field wearing an opposing team’s jersey, he does not expect boos to rain down on him from Giants fans.
“I don’t expect a great reaction. I don’t expect to be booed,” Barkley said. “I look at it like this: The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Football Giants probably played in over 200 games. This rivalry was there before me, and it’s going to be there after me.”
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Barkley also suggested emotions surrounding his Giants exit have largely subsided.
“Maybe I’m naive, but I think it’s over. That chapter’s closed,” he told reporters prior to the Eagles’ win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. “I truly don’t care no more, and I’m pretty sure fans don’t care no more.”
Before Sunday’s game in New Jersey kicks off, Barkley said he will already have visualized scoring a touchdown.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll visualize breaking a long touchdown run, making plays there,” Barkley told ESPN. “That goes a long way.”
While New York general manager Joe Schoen did have conversations with Barkley and his agent during the offseason, he appeared to stop short of formally offering the star running back a new deal. The Giants handling of Barkley’s situation was documented on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
A clip from the program showed Giants co-owner and CEO John Mara telling Schoen he was “going to have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia.”
Barkley previously confirmed that he still keeps in touch with some of his former teammates.
“I stay in contact with a lot of the guys over there. I was there for six years. I got a lot of friends there,” he said. “No bad feelings for those guys.”
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said he talks “frequently” with Barkley and admitted seeing his former teammate in a green jersey was an adjustment.
“It is a little different. Just used to being on the field with him, seeing him in Giants colors,” Jones said. “So, yeah, seeing him in an Eagles uniform for the first time was a little bit different for sure.”
The Giants and Eagles kick off at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
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