Saquon Barkley bolts Giants for three-year deal with Eagles
Saquon Barkley is bolting the Giants for one of their fiercest rivals, inking a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The deal is for $37.75 million and could be worth up to $46.75 million, per multiple reports.
$26 million of Barkley's new contract is fully guaranteed.
SNY's Connor Hughes reported earlier on Monday that there were "increased rumblings" that Philadelphia was wiling to go north of $12 million per season for Barkley. And that's exactly what they did, with Barkley's AAV coming in at $12.58 million.
Per Hughes, the Houston Texans were also interested in Barkley, but at around $11 million per year.
As far as the Giants, the expectation had been that they would be given a chance to match Barkley's highest offer.
However, once Barkley's market crystallized, the feeling was that it would go far beyond what GM Joe Schoen and Co. were comfortable offering to someone who plays a position they don't value highly.
Right after Barkley signed with the Eagles, the Giants inked guard Jon Runyan to a three-year deal worth $30 million, which kind of illustrated what their priorities this offseason are and aren't.
New York had a chance to keep Barkley, but declined to place the franchise tag on him for a second straight offseason, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Shortly after news of the deal broke, Barkley tweeted out two Eagles emojis before adding: "Thank you to everyone who has shown me love and support over the past 6 years… forever grateful! Excited for the next chapter."
Barkley's time in New York was pockmarked by injuries at times, including a torn ACL, and he was negatively impacted by often being forced to work behind a subpar offensive line.
Still, Barkley was the Giants' most dynamic offensive weapon when he was on the field, which included 14 games in 2023, 16 games in 2022, and 13 games in 2021.
This past season, Barkley rushed 247 times for 962 yards and reeled in 41 catches for 280 yards. He had 10 touchdowns (six on the ground and four through the air).
During his six seasons with the Giants, Barkley eclipsed 1,000-yards rushing three times (2018, 2019, and 2022), was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, and was selected to two Pro Bowls.
