Running back Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles told Dianna Russini of The Athletic in an episode of the “Scoop City” podcast that was posted on Tuesday morning that he had one major regret about leaving the New York Giants in the offseason.
“I had a goodbye video to Giants fans — I don’t think I handled that situation right at all,” Barkley stated. “I gave the Giants fans a little thank you, but I really had a legitimate response, sort of a farewell. I allowed the abuse on Twitter distract me from that, which was pretty immature of me, and that’s the one thing I kind of regret about the entire process. Since the day I was drafted, I have received a lot of affection from Giants fans, even though I am aware that many of them despise me or anything. I have made an effort to interact with them as much as possible and treat them with respect since they have done the same for me. So, I believe there was a better way for me to say goodbye. Simply being naive and immature, not even considering the significance of the situation.”
The two-time Pro Bowler’s departure from Big Blue is still being investigated, particularly in light of the Giants’ involvement in the first season of “Hard Knocks: Offseason.”
It was rumored that New York co-owner John Mara texted the 27-year-old months before the HBO series debuted on July 2 and talked about how “sick” he felt about Barkley’s leaving.
Mara referred to Barkley as “the most popular player we have, by far” on a recent episode of “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants,” just before the former AP Offensive Rookie of the Year signed a contract with the NFC East foe.
Barkley became a free agent at the beginning of March when the G-Men decided not to apply the franchise tag to him.
On March 11, the Penn State product agreed to a $37.75 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia.
A recent episode of the show disclosed that Joe Schoen, the general manager of the Giants, made an offer that was nearly equal to what Barkley received from the Eagles.
“I offered him today a three-year deal at $12.5 (million) APY and $25 (million) guaranteed to be a Giant,” Schoen stated.
The offer from Schoen is just $250,000 less than what Barkley agreed to with Philadelphia.