Saquon Barkley admits Giants ‘disrespect’ fueled fire to his record-breaking season
Saquon Barkley won his first Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs last week in New Orleans.
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Saquon Barkley, Howard Stern (Images via NBC News/The New York Times)
Saquon Barkley, the league’s rushing leader, capped off the season with his first championship title on his birthday. The former New York Giants player joined the Eagles after being released from the Big Apple team for Daniel Jones.
Saquon Barkley, recently admitted that he did feel disrespected by the team that selected him as No. 2 overall nearly seven years ago. The New York Giants did not extend an official offer to retain him, leading the star running back to sign a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, which includes $26 million in guaranteed money.
While Barkley has used his departure from the Giants as motivation, he explained that his mindset has evolved. What initially stemmed from a sense of disrespect by New York has now shifted into a personal drive to maximize his accomplishments throughout his career.
Has that moment crossed my mind? Uh, yes, I’m super competitive. Did I feel disrespected at the time? A hundred percent, but the bigger chip on my shoulder, the thing that drives me the most is being obsessed with wanting to be great and I took that more of an opportunity, meaning going to Philly, as an opportunity that I can still, everything that I wanna accomplish in my career, whether it’s, you know, winning Super Bowls and MVPs or Hall of Fame jackets, all that I wanted to accomplish was still there.
Saquon Barkley told Howard Stern on The Stern Show
“Did I feel disrespected at the time? 100%.” @saquon Barkley tells Howard how he used his departure from the New York Giants as motivation. pic.twitter.com/teHtrl22TF
— Stern Show (@sternshow) February 13, 2025
Saquon Barkley played an integral role in the Philadelphia Eagles’ magical run. The Eagles ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynastical run last Sunday with a lopsided win. Barkley had three straight games with more than a hundred yards on his own. Although he finished the Super Bowl clash with 25 carries for 57 yards, he played a huge role in the offensive forefront.
Saquon Barkley praises the way he was let go
In his talk with Howard Stern, Saquon Barkley also noted that he admits that letting go was a business decision. Throughout the season, Barkley has been a solid support for Daniel Jones and the Giants fanbase. He reportedly called up Jones after the first game went very turbulent – Jones faced booing and jersey immolations.
Barkley expressed that there have been far worse ways in which a player trade could go. He went on to call the team and the management behind for doing first-class stuff. He concluded by revisiting his thoughts on the motivation aspect.
It’s the NFL. I’ve seen worse, to be honest. I’ve seen worse and they could have done me wrong, they could have tagged me, could have forced me, they could have traded me. What they did in our business, was kind of the respectable thing to do and which there’s no surprise because Mr. Mara and Tisch and that whole organization’s first class. So I took it more as a motivation of my story’s not done, and I can continue to add more chapters to the story.
Saquon Barkley added
The Eagles have an offense to showcase proudly with Barkley registering himself as the best weapon in their arsenal. Meanwhile, the Giants struggled once again as their decisions haunted them all season long.
Related: (Video) Philly Police execute epic ‘Tush Push’ to celebrate Eagles Super Bowl win
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Mohammed Bazim
(514 Articles Published)