Last spring, Saquon Barkley left his former team, the New York Giants, to sign up with the Philadelphia Eagles. It was later revealed that after battling multiple injuries, the running back and the team’s relationship went sour. Hence, arguably thinking that Barkley might not be of any use to them, the franchise asked him to test the free agency market. But there was something else too which was shown in the episodes of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’.

What was that? Well, we will discuss this later. However, at the moment, we should first know what Saquon Barkley recently did as he took a subtle dig at the Giants’ President, John Mara, and also the team’s leadership. The Eagles’ running back recently shared a couple of stories on his official Instagram account. In the story, he talks about sleeping disorders, while doing a paid partnership with ‘Unisom SleepTabs’.

Now you must be thinking, what’s the big deal in this? Well, coming to the ‘Hard Knocks’ revelation, in one of the episodes we saw Mara telling general manager, Joe Schoen, “I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that, as I’ve told you. Just being honest. He’s the most popular player we have by far.” So, now you got it?

The Giants later traded Saquon Barkley and now he’s a high-caliber player in Philly. Hence, this story subtly came out as a joke on his previous team and leaders, as he’s sleeping properly, unlike Mara. In the story, Barkley could be heard saying, “I’m Saquon Barkley. I’ve heard you guys have had some trouble sleeping lately. We got a big game coming up. You should rest up. Maybe try some Unisom. I don’t need it. But you might. I’m gonna sleep like a baby.”

Saquon Barkley has become the ninth player to cross over 2,000 rushing yards this season – the first time in his career. Hence, while again seemingly poking fun at his former team, the RB added, “I heard some of you were having trouble sleeping. So I wrote you a lullaby: ‘Rockabye baby, awake in your bed, as the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football. Not for me, though. Goodnight to you all.” Wow! That’s definitely a great way to attract the viewers.

This is especially interesting because it just came days before the Giants and Eagles are slated to play against one another for the second time this season. Hence, delighting at the opportunity, Unisom CMO Claudine Patel admitted: “We just took the opportunity on a moment that went viral and has a lot of meaningful connection to our brand. It could be a really tongue-in-cheek and fun way of leveraging social and leveraging his fandom.” And of course, Barkley was “pretty excited about the idea of it” too.

Barkley is sitting out in the final regular Week 18 game of this season. But his ex-teammates remember him for sure.

Saquon Barkley is being missed by the Giants?

Saquon Barkley said goodbye to the team last year. However, his absence is still being felt in the Giants’ locker room. Even though he’s not on the field this Sunday, his impact lingers. This is evident in what his former teammates admit recently, saying that they didn’t realize how much they’d miss him, not just as a player, but as a leader.

For instance, quarterback Tommy DeVito shared that the team didn’t fully appreciate what they were losing in terms of leadership when they let him go. Even safety Dane Belton emphasized how Barkley’s presence affected everyone, especially with such a young team. In addition to them, tight end Daniel Bellinger too chimed in, saying, “For me, the biggest part of losing Saquon was the locker room aspect. Just having him as a leader and a guy that when there were times like, what do we do, he would be like ‘Go play!’ He brought an energy that sometimes we needed out there.” Well, this team is definitely lamenting their loss.

Additionally, watching Barkley shine with a divisional rival while the Giants struggle with a dismal record makes it even harder for them. Saquon Barkley’s absence stings and it’s clear that losing a leader like him has had a lasting impact on the team.

What do you think the future will look like for Barkley? Let us know in the comments below.