Saquon Barkley’s six-year stint with the Giants is over, and another former Giants running back is ready to pretend like it never happened.
Former Giants star Tiki Barber took exception to Barkley’s decision to sign with the Eagles on Monday, with the former No. 2 overall pick joining New York’s bitter NFC East rival.
“You’re dead to us, Saquon. Good luck, you’re dead to me,” Barber said on WFAN radio Monday, albeit laughingly.
“You’re dead to us”
Tiki reacts to Saquon Barkley reportedly signing with the hated Eagles 😮 pic.twitter.com/fU3hYZaQkV
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) March 11, 2024
Barkley wasn’t expected to return to the Giants in free agency, but it’s rare for a prominent Giant to move to the division-rival Eagles or Cowboys. While Barber’s words are harsh, they might reflect the reception the new Eagles running back gets when he returns to MetLife Stadium next season.
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Saquon Barkley’s response to Tiki Barber
Barkley took Barber’s words at face value, hitting back by accusing the Giants great of being “a hater” all along. “Don’t smile in my face when you see me,” Barkley said in a tweet.
@TikiBarber you been a hater since I got to New York … and all the “Dead to me” talk don’t smile in my face when you see me
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) March 11, 2024
Barkley also mocked the idea of Barber talking about loyalty to a team, a likely reference to Barber’s disparaging comments about the Giants at the end of his career. While Barber spent his entire career in New York, he announced his retirement plans in the middle of one of his prime seasons and went on to publicly criticize both Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning.
@TikiBarber lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team.. I got the deal I wanted, secured more gm which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs https://t.co/6aKgJquD0F
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) March 11, 2024
After agreeing to a three-year, $ 37.75 million deal with the Eagles, Barkley said he signed because Philadelphia offered more guaranteed money than other teams. Barkley’s reported deal includes $ 26 million in guarantees.
“If fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs,” Barkley tweeted, perhaps again referencing Barber’s unceremonious Giants exit.
Whether fans hate him or not, Barkley won’t be receiving many cheers when the Eagles visit in a few months, if only because the jersey he’s wearing is never one that will sit well among Giants fans.
