Saquon Barkley ended up in a better situation when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the New York Giants let him walk in free agency, but that didn't mean he didn't feel disrespected by the team that drafted No. 2 nearly seven years ago. The Giants reportedly did not extend an official offer to Barkley after July 2023, and the star running back signed with the Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million with $26 million guaranteed.
Barkley has used that departure from the Giants as motivation, but he also breaks down that the chip on his shoulder has transformed from a feeling of disrespect by New York to his desire to accomplish all he can during his career.
"Has that moment crossed my mind? Uh, yes, I'm super competitive," Barkley told Howard Stern on The Stern Show. "Did I feel disrespected at the time? A hundred percent, but the bigger chip on my shoulder, the thing that drives me the most is being obsessed with wanting to be great and I took that more of an opportunity, meaning going to Philly, as an opportunity that I can still, everything that I wanna accomplish in my career, whether it's, you know, winning Super Bowls and MVPs or Hall of Fame jackets, all that I wanted to accomplish was still there."
“Did I feel disrespected at the time? 100%.” @saquon Barkley tells Howard how he used his departure from the New York Giants as motivation. pic.twitter.com/teHtrl22TF
— Stern Show (@sternshow) February 13, 2025
Barkley continued: "The chip on my shoulder was that I've been through a lot. I had a lot of ups and downs and injuries and adversity, but here I am and I never lost hope. I never lost faith. So, this is my moment, so now I gotta capitalize on my moment. So that was my chip on my shoulder, just the obsession of trying to be great rather than a get back or flipping the bird to the Giants because it's a business. It's the NFL. I've seen worse, to be honest. I've seen worse and they could have done me wrong, they could have tagged me, could have forced me, they could have traded me. What they did in our business, was kind of the respectable thing to do and which there's no surprise because Mr. Mara and Tisch and that whole organization's first class. So I took it more as a motivation of my story's not done, and I can continue to add more chapters to the story. “
That motivation from both the Giants and his desire to achieve more in his career served him well during his first season in Philadelphia. Barkley became one of just nine running backs in league history to rush for 2,000 yards, won a Super Bowl, won Offensive Player of the Year and recorded easily the best season of his career.
If this "chip" helps Barkley keep up how he performed in 2024 and stays healthy, it's hard to see much stopping him from achieving the feats that are driving him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Saquon Barkley Explains How Feeling 'Disrespected' By Giants Motivated Him This Season.
