Human beings are often recognized for their value only after they’re gone. That holds especially true for Saquon Barkley and the Giants. Every NFL fan knew how much of an asset the RB was to New York, but in typical Giants fashion, they let him go after years of setting him up for failure.
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Now, Barkley has broken rushing records, won Offensive Player of the Year, and secured a Super Bowl victory. Like many others, NFL stalwarts Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski couldn’t resist poking fun at the Giants’ baffling decision to let a player of that caliber walk away.
In the latest episode of Dudes on Dudes, Edelman shared that he always believed Barkley would retire as a Giant. Being committed to a team for six years and seeing the postseason just once spoke volumes about his loyalty. But the Giants didn’t value that.
And arguably, Barkley found the home he always wanted in his first season in Philadelphia, which made both Edelman and Gronkowski extremely happy. Of course, at the expense of the Giants’ mistake.
“The thing is, I always thought he would be a Giant for the rest of his life, and boy, was that one giant loss. To lose Saquon Barkley… and to see him go out and do what he’s doing this year with a really good football team… I mean, this is what you want for a guy like Saquon Barkley,” Edelman said.
What’s also caught Edelman’s attention is how quickly Barkley became a favorite among the Eagles cohort. The former wideout believes it stems from Barkley’s affable personality.
“He’s definitely a dude’s dude as well,” noted Edelman. For Gronk, however, the key reason Barkley fit in so quickly was his status as the ultimate team player.
Regardless, the two Patriots legends unanimously agreed that Barkley impressed them from being the most hated guy in Philadelphia to being the most loved in the span of a season. Turnarounds like this are nothing but a result of hard work, commitment, and leadership. Losing an all-round package like Barkley is thus a giant loss for the Giants.
The funny thing, however, is that the Giants’ front office would have been kicking themselves regardless of Saquon Barkley’s Super Bowl win or humility. All they had to do was look at the insane stats he piled up this season.
Whether it was becoming only the second player in NFL history to record 400+ rushing yards and 5 TDs in the postseason or leading the league with 2,504 total rushing yards while winning the Super Bowl, the running back was simply sensational.
Stats like these prove Barkley deserved a team with the pedigree of the Eagles. Unsurprisingly, it was the promise of a Super Bowl that led him to choose Philly over the many teams vying for his talents.
Saquon Barkley opens up about the decision to join the Eagles.
Speaking to the NFL Gameday crew after winning the Super Bowl, Barkley reminisced about how Eagles GM Howie Roseman convinced him to join a divisional rival by painting a picture of confetti falling. Coupled with the Eagles’ stacked roster, the RB knew exactly where he wanted to continue his career.
“I’m not going to lie. In one of my first conversations with Howie, he said he is going to get me to the Super Bowl, and we’re going to see that confetti fall. So it’s been on my mind since the beginning. I knew the talent that we had on this team. I knew the coaches that we have on this team… We all started buying in, ten wins in a row and here we are. The rest is history.”
Sometimes, life puts us on the wrong train, leaving it up to us to get off at the right time. Thankfully for Barkley, he left the Giants at the prime of his career. That said, don’t be surprised if this win marks the beginning of an Eagles dynasty in the NFL.
