Tiki Barber chastises Saquon Barkley for Eagles deal, and Barkley wasn't having it

Fans get mad when players sign with rival teams. It will happen until the end of time.

But former players should know better. Tiki Barber doesn't.

Barber, a former New York Giants running back, took the time on Monday to criticize Saquon Barkley for agreeing to a new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, who are the Giants' NFC East rival.

Barkley wanted a long-term deal for a while. He was vocal about it last year when he got the franchise tag. The Giants didn't give it to him but he got a good deal from the Eagles, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $37.75 million with $26 million guaranteed, according to Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein.

Instead of being happy that someone in the NFL brotherhood, especially at running back, got paid what he deserves, Barber ripped Barkley. On WFAN, Barber repeated "You're dead to us" a few times.

"Good luck, you're dead to me," Barber said at the end.

That's not the reaction you'd expect for a fellow NFL player, but Barber hasn't always been the most popular figure in NFL circles. Maybe we can see why.

Barkley could have let it pass, but he had some points to make back at Barber.

Loyalty is usually talked about in one-way terms. Players are supposed to be loyal. But when Barkley plays through injuries and carries a bad Giants offense for years, then the team doesn't offer him the type of deal he eventually got on the open market, Barkley is the bad guy for not being loyal.

And again, fans are going to have that reaction. Barber should know better. Did he think Barkley should have turned down the deal he wanted just because it came from the Giants' division rival? Look at Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey's reaction to Christian Wilkins signing a $110 million deal to leave the Dolphins and go to the Las Vegas Raiders.

That's a classy gesture by a player who understands the business side of the game. Even if Barber is playing it up for the WFAN audience, he still should be above "You're dead to me" over a running back getting the contract he has earned.

Barkley will move on to the Eagles. He'll likely be booed when Philadelphia plays at the Giants. That happens. But Barber shouldn't be one of the people doing the booing.