New York Giants legend and current NFL analyst Tiki Barber found himself in somewhat of a war of words with running back Saquon Barkley after Barkley left the Giants as a free agent and signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles this past March.
Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and Tim McManus, Barber recently insisted he never would’ve made a similar business decision during his playing career.
“The discrepancy in money wasn’t the same as it is now,” Barber explained. “You were basically going to get the same thing no matter where you went or what you did. It wouldn’t have made sense. In my era, the rivalry was real. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I know these guys. It’s cool.’ It was real. You hated them. Since the money wasn’t that big of a deal, it was just like it’s worth it, for the fans, to stay.”
Before the start of free agency, Barber warned Barkley that even considering joining the Eagles was “insulting to his Giant history and legacy.” After Barkley put pen to paper on his deal with Philadelphia, Barber joked that the 2018 first-round draft pick who had played only for Big Blue in the NFL was “dead” to him and to Giants fans.
Barkley clearly wasn’t amused and said that Barber had “been a hater since I got to New York.” That comment may or may not have been related to criticisms Barber offered about Barkley’s play over the years.
Stories linked Barkley with the Houston Texans before he agreed to a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to sign with the Eagles. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 and DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN subsequently reported that the Texans “bid three years and a bit north of $33M” for Barkley’s services. The structure of that contract offer is unknown.
Certain individuals within the Giants allegedly remain upset about the fact that Barkley’s deal with the Eagles was seemingly finalized before the start of the free-agent negotiating window. The NFL ultimately cleared Philadelphia of any wrongdoing, but that won’t stop Barkley from being public enemy No. 1 for some Giants fans when he takes the MetLife Stadium field wearing an Eagles jersey for the first time ahead of this Sunday’s game between the NFC East clubs.
