One of the most closely-watched storylines of the 2024-25 NFL season was Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley exacting his revenge on the New York Giants for letting him walk and not paying him his worth. Roughly a year later, Barkley is now a Super Bowl champion and just the ninth player in league history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a single campaign.
But if you ask him, there were no hard feelings despite the viral clip of Giants general manager Joe Schoen on HBO's Hard Knocks: Offseason essentially convincing himself and the front office the team didn't need Barkley so badly that it should pay his asking price.
Joe Schoen on Saquon Barkley:
— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) December 29, 2024
“Having the needs that we have and a $12 million dollar, 27 year old running back.”
“This is the year for Daniel(Jones).”pic.twitter.com/fuwGQ63QXV
"It's kind of on them when you look at it from the inside, like they have to sign off on that and make the decision on that clip to go out there, and that's what they did," Barkley told Barstool's Pardon My Take on Monday. "But it's funny because you would think from social media there's this big beef with me, Joe Schoen and like the Giants and in reality we're all, you know, I still talk to them here and there, before the game... they were all happy for me."
Saquon Barkley was never focused on beefing with the Giants
The discourse online fans had over the Giants being embarrassed by Barkley's 2024 performance seemingly stayed online. Barkley himself knew he had a job to do and it wouldn't matter which uniform he was ultimately wearing.
"It's a weird business, the NFL is a business, you know. I'm not a fan of it, when it comes to money and that side but these guys were a big reason why I was able to get back like before I had an ACL, ankle [injury] and [Brian Daboll] and all those guys came in and believed in me and trusted me and helped me get my swagger back," he continued.
Barkley said multiple times throughout the year that he wasn't focused on just making the Giants regret not re-signing him, so it's no surprise that he maintains professional and friendly relationships with his former teammates and colleagues in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
But that doesn't mean he's going to take it easy on them twice a year either. In 2024 he rushed for 176 yards and scored a touchdown against his old team, ultimately sitting out in the sequel to allow his teammates a starting opportunity. The Giants shouldn't expect the same kind of hospitality in 2025.