Eagles' Saquon Barkley Tells Giants Fans He 'Never Got' Contract Offer to Return

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said Thursday night that the New York Giants never made him a formal contract offer before he signed with the Eagles in free agency this offseason.

Barkley was spotted in the crowd Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly for Game 6 of the first-round NBA playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, which the Knicks won to eliminate the Sixers.

After the game, Barkley made a post on X, writing: "It's been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can't even go to a basketball game." In response, a fan claimed that Barkley "bailed" on New York, and Barkley offered the following reply:

If the Giants indeed did fail to make Barkley a contract offer, it was to the benefit of their NFC East rivals in the Eagles, who inked Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million deal.

Barkley added insult to injury for Giants fans in a subsequent post, noting how excited he is to play in front of Eagles fans after taking in the playoff atmosphere at the Sixers game:

The 27-year-old Barkley was born in Bronx, New York, but he was raised in the state of Pennsylvania, and he attended Penn State University.

After a spectacular collegiate career, the Giants made Barkley the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, and that selection paid early dividends.

As a rookie, Barkley racked up 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, and he caught 91 passes for. 721 yards and four scores en route to Pro Bowl and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Over the next three seasons, Barkley was ravaged by injuries, but he finally experienced a bounce back in 2022, rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns, earning him his second career Pro Bowl nod.

There was a subsequent push from fans to sign Barkley to a contract extension, but New York placed the franchise tag on him instead. Rather than signing the franchise tender, Barkley agreed to a one-year, $10.091 million deal with the Giants, which included $909,000 in incentives.

The Giants went from a surprise playoff team in 2022 to one of the NFL's worst teams in 2023 due largely to poor quarterback play.

Barkley experienced a significant drop-off in production as well, rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns, and making 41 grabs for 280 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.

When nothing materialized between the Giants and Barkley, the Eagles jumped on the opportunity to sign him in free agency, and they allowed D'Andre Swift to leave for the Chicago Bears in the process.

The running game has been a huge part of Philly's success in recent years with both Swift and Miles Sanders enjoying career-best seasons over the past two campaigns.

Barkley has a chance to do something similar if he can stay healthy, and seeing him do it with a rival team in Philadelphia would likely be a tough pill to swallow for Giants fans.