Once upon a time, the New York Giants drafted a generational talent named Saquon Barkley. For six years, he dazzled crowds, hurdled defenders, and carried an offense held together by duct tape. But in 2024, the script flipped. Barkley, now in midnight green, is sprinting toward a Super Bowl while the Giants wallow in a 3-14 nightmare. The twist? New York let him walk over pocket change. Cue the outrage, the regret, and a certain retired tight end roasting the Giants’ brass.

On February 6, Rob Gronkowski didn’t hold back on his Dudes on Dudes podcast. “Let me tell you for a second. This is… this is my problem. He left because there was an argument over like $500,000 or a million dollars. A million bucks!” He fumed. “Well, I can tell you this. He’s still underpaid by at least $10 million dollars!” Gronk called out GM Joe Schoen and owner John Mara for lowballing Barkley, who signed with Philly for just 1 million more than New York’s final offer. Julian Edelman didn’t shy away either.

“He’s literally catapulted this Philadelphia team. He’s that good of a football player. He’s had a magical year. He went over 2,000 yards regardless of how many games… this is like a this like a Disney movie,” Edelman said. Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns? Pure blockbuster material. Meanwhile, Giants fans are stuck rewatching Mara’s Hard Knocks confession: “I’m going to have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia.” Spoiler: He isn’t sleeping.

The Eagles’ offense? A Frankenstein monster of Jalen Hurts’ legs, AJ Brown’s hands, and Barkley’s gravity-defying runs. Their 37.6% offensive yardage from Barkley isn’t just dominance—it’s a strong message to New York’s spreadsheet-driven exit.

After losing the NFC title game to Barkley’s Eagles, Commanders RB Austin Ekeler roasted New York’s logic. “Like the Giants, what a joke letting that guy go. Prime Saquon, ‘I don’t know who’s gonna pay this guy $12 million dollars.’ Well, he’s gonna carry your offense. So, everybody. Don’t get me started there.” Barkley’s 60-yard TD on Philly’s first snap in that game wasn’t just a highlight—it was a sermon. Meanwhile, Kayvon Thibodeaux and other Giants players feel torn.

“I hate the Eagles… but on a personal level, super proud of Saquon,” Thibodeaux said. Jalin Hyatt added, “He’s a special player. I’m definitely going to be rooting for him for sure for what he can do.” The locker room’s message? New York fumbled a leader, not just a rusher. Meanwhile, Saquon hasn’t forgotten who put their faith in him from the start. And it wasn’t Schoen.

Barkley’s still has some loyalty to New York

Top Comment by lesnyc10001

Why does Joe Schoen, still have a job?!? Absolute blunder! I’ve been a Giants fan since ‘77 and today I...more

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Dave Gettleman, the Giants’ former GM, once called Barkley “touched by the hand of God” after drafting him in 2018. Fast-forward to 2024: Barkley still texts Gettleman gratitude while ignoring Schoen. “He drafted me, he gave me an opportunity and drafted me to New York,” Barkley said of Gettleman…

“Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way that we would like. But hopefully — one of my goals is to make everyone proud and hopefully I’m making him proud right now,” Barkley added. The irony? The current management’s frugality turned Philly’s backfield into a cheat code.

However, Schoen’s defenders argue the Giants weren’t one RB away from contention. But Barkley’s 2024 stats—2,760 scrimmage yards, fourteen 100-yard games—expose a deeper truth: Elite talent lifts teams. Philly’s top-ranked O-line unlocked Barkley’s full potential; New York’s rebuild left him running through quicksand.

“Part of the Giants’ calculation last spring was that they simply weren’t in a position to reset the market to keep a seventh-year running back. They’re rebuilding,” noted analyst Albert Breer. But in a league where Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs still thrive, cheaping out on Barkley looks less like strategy, and more like stubbornness.

As Barkley eyes Eric Dickerson’s rushing record in Super Bowl LIX, the Giants face a long offseason. Meanwhile, Schoen’s business decision gifted Philly a weapon and New York a historic faceplant. Barkley’s Unisom ad mocking Mara? The perfect capper.

For Giants fans, the pain isn’t just losing a star—it’s watching him thrive next door. Edelman put it best: “This is a Disney movie.” And New York? Stuck playing the villain.