Getty Image / Luke Hales
For six seasons, Saquon Barkley wasted away in the New York Giants’ backfield behind a terrible offensive line that gave him little chance to show off his generational talent. He left for greener pastures this year, joining a much better offense in the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley made his return to MetLife Stadium to play against his old team on Sunday, and opposing fans did not treat him well at all. Former Philadelphia Eagles center and current ESPN personality Jason Kelce took offense to the way that Barkley was treated.
Saquon Barkley came into Week 7 having had a great start to the season for the Eagles. He tallied 482 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns through the team’s first five games. Nobody should be surprised that he’s lighting the league on fire playing in a competent offense for the first time in his career.
The Giants and Barkley were unable to come to a contract agreement in the last two offseasons, meaning that Barkley played on the dreaded Franchise Tag in 2023. He hit unrestricted free agency and ended up signing with the Eagles on a 3-year, $37 million contract with $26 million guaranteed in the offseason. That had to hurt Giants fans, and it certainly hurt owner John Mara, who made it clear he did not want to see the running back sign with the rival Eagles.
Giants fans greeted Barkley with a chorus of boos on Sunday.
#Eagles RB Saquon Barkley took the field at MetLife Stadium to boos from #Giants fans.
(🎥 @JustinPenik)pic.twitter.com/UToShC7of8
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 20, 2024
Jason Kelce thought this kind of treatment was ridiculous.
“For the life of me, I don’t understand why Giants fans hate Saquon for what happened, and not the Giants organization for the fact he is an Eagle. They have absolutely no one to blame other than the Giants ownership and management decisions for why he is no longer a Giant. Obviously understand their hate of the Eagles, and desire for him not to succeed, just very odd this energy is directed at him more so than the organization…,” he said on Twitter.
Later, he went on to say this.
“100% understand why fans hate he’s an Eagle, and why there are Boos. I mean I played in Philadelphia, babies are born here booing instead of crying. Just feels like from the beginning of this whole thing the hate has been directed at him, when the organization is the one that messed this entire thing up.”
Saquon Barkley had the last laugh, as the Eagles won 28-3, and he had 176 yards on 17 carries with a score, torching the Giants defense all afternoon.