Eagles running back Saquon Barkley attended last night’s game between the 76ers and the Knicks in Philadelphia. When shown on the Jumbotron, he was booed by the New York fans in attendance at the game.
Barkley made an observation about the situation on social media.
“It’s been two months,” Barkley said, “lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game.”
Someone responded to Barkley, pointing out that he bailed on New York.
“Let me educate some of you fans here,” Barkley said. “I can’t bail or become a traitor if I never got an offer to come back.. so I went to the organization I felt that was the best and after already being here for a month man I’m excited to be a eagle! Go birds.”
Barkley undoubtedly is referring to 2024, because the Giants reportedly made offers to Barkley on a long-term deal in 2023.
The Giants quite possibly would have a different view of the matter. Regardless, the Giants had a full and fair chance to keep Barkley for the long haul. They could have tagged him again for 2024. They had exclusive negotiating rights until Monday, March 11.
Don’t blame the player for taking the best offer wherever he can get it. He’s trying to get compensated for his skills and abilities. The Giants had him for six years and didn’t offer enough to get him to stay. That’s on them.
Basically, if fans are mad that Barkley jumped to the Eagles, they should be mad at the Giants for letting him go. They had their chances, over and over again. From the conclusion of his third regular season (2020) through early March 2024, the Giants could have secured Barkley for the long haul. They didn’t.
They knew he could go to the Eagles, the Cowboys, the Commanders, anywhere. That’s how free agency works. Barkley, in six years of pro football, never had the ability to play wherever he wanted to play. He finally got that ability, in large part because the Giants didn’t make him an offer he would accept.
Again, if you’re mad, blame them. They made the business decision not to offer him enough to get him to stay. Barkley made the business decision to go.
That’s still easier said than done. As Jerry Seinfeld once said, we’re all just rooting for laundry.
(By the way, Unfrosted debuts on Netflix today. It’s only fair to mention Seinfeld’s new film if we’re gonna use his old bit.)
