Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley decided against breaking his personal NFL rushing record in favor of giving younger roster members a chance to shine after he demolished his former team, the New York Giants, on Sunday.
Barkley racked up 176 yards on the ground and one touchdown against the Giants on his first return to the franchise since heading to the Eagles in the offseason in free agency. He was 13 yards shy of his career-high 89, which he set back in 2019.
However, late on in the game, Barkley decided against going back out onto the field to break his NFL record. The game was long won by the Eagles, who dismissed the Giants with a resounding 28-3 victory. Sirianni had planned on taking out his starters if the Giants didn’t score a touchdown. But he was willing to put Barkley in so he could break his career feat.
Instead, Barkley decided to sit and instructed head coach Nick Sirianni to give younger roster members a chance to shine. “It’s all good. You good, let them eat,” Barkley told Sirianni. “It’s all good, I’d rather see the young boys eat.”
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Barkley was showered with boos on his return to the Giants but he insists it’s all love between himself and his former franchise. He remains friends with many of his ex-teammates. The Giants let the fan-favorite running back hit free agency as they were unwilling to pay the $16 million per year he was seeking.
Barkley said: “The atmosphere was amazing. I know I was getting booed, it was kind of hard not to hear that — but as a competitor that’s the stuff you live for and moments you dream about. They’re booing for a reason, it’s a compliment, that’s how I took it.”
“To be honest, I’m so happy this game is over,” he added. “I don’t think I should get, besides today, any more questions about the Giants. Like I always said, thankful for the organization, they’re the team that drafted me. Still got nothing but love and respect for the guys over there. But I’m happy to be an Eagle.”
Barkley refused to break his own personal NFL rushing record in Sunday’s return to the Giants (
Getty)
Barkley also defended his former teammate, Daniel Jones, the Giants’ franchise quarterback, who has been subject to unsavory treatment by his own supporters following a string of bad performances. Some fans even decided to burn his jersey.
“The boos for him suck, too,” Barkley said. “Fans don’t get it. They give us a hard time. We know sometimes the games don’t go the way that we would like. But he works his ass off, and he’ll do anything for the organization to try to win a Super Bowl — and likewise when I was here.
“They’re a good team, and (sometimes) games aren’t going the way they want to go. And I know the fans are over it, and the fans are tired of the B.S. and the same old stuff. But it’s sad. Because there’s guys who don’t care in this league, and there’s guys who do care. And he’s one of those guys. So it sucks to see that.”
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