Free agent running back Saquon Barkley has been the engine that has made the New York Giants offense run over the entirety of his six-year career with the organization. And unfortunately for Giants fans, they will now have to deal with him two times a season for the foreseeable future after he decided to join one of their NFC East rivals.
The Chicago Bears signed former Philadelphia Eagles running back D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24 million deal on Monday.
This then opened the door for the Eagles to make a move on Barkley, signing him to a three-year, $37.75 million deal. $26 million of the deal will be fully guaranteed and the full deal could be worth as much as $46.75 million with added incentives.
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.
Barkley now beats the franchise tag number and has a maximum… pic.twitter.com/d2TnEWhaQ0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
Naturally, many around the NFL world had plenty to say about the move, with Eagles fans elated about Barkley’s decision while Giants fans were completely devastated.
Just got 23 text messages from all my Eastern PA combo Penn State/Eagles fans.
One said it’s better than when their child was born. 🤣
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) March 11, 2024
Oh my god they’re winning the superbowl 🫡
— Wade Plemons (@WadePlem) March 11, 2024
Someone check in on Tiki Barber pic.twitter.com/wj5HohtzzB
— Jacob Robinson (@JacobRFootball) March 11, 2024
This is a horrific image
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) March 11, 2024
Saquon Barkley returning to MetLife to play AGAINST the giants with the Philadelphia Eagles #NFLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/spL12pmIUH
— Nick Gerr (@realprinceblue3) March 11, 2024
For the Eagles, this move represents a pretty significant upgrade at the position on paper with Barkley, pairing an elite mobile quarterback threat in Jalen Hurts alongside an elite running back.
We have seen how well a move for an elite running back worked for the San Francisco 49ers when they added Christian McCaffrey two seasons ago. Now, the Eagles have a top RB of their own to help build a dominant ground game.
Meanwhile, this is obviously a worst-case scenario for the Giants to have their best player on offense instead join a divisional rival who has consistently given them problems over the last decade.
Coming into this past season, it looked like the Giants were an impressive up-and-coming team, surprising everyone with a postseason appearance in the 2022-23 season. Times have certainly changed, and it now appears that this Giants team could be headed to a full-on rebuild moving forward.
