Not only the Giants: These are the other two teams Saquon Barkley turned down to sign with the Eagles
The New York Giants aren’t the only team regretting having missed out on Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley this season.
After playing for the New York Giants for six seasons, the team chose not to re-sign running back Saquon Barkley in 2024. Instead, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Giants’ divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. And now, he’s a huge part of the reason that Philly is heading to Super Bowl LIX in two weeks.
The teams Barkley turned down to play for Eagles
The Giants picked Barkley second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft and signed him to a four-year, $31.19 million rookie deal with a $20.767 million signing bonus when they picked up his fifth-year option. That cost the Giants $7.22 million fully guaranteed in the 2022-23 season, and in the 2023-24 season, the Giants placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him for $10.09 million fully guaranteed.
In 2024, the Giants let Barkley walk in free agency. There was no shortage of offers for the star running back, and he reportedly turned down two bigger offers in order to play in his home state and chase a Super Bowl.
“The only thing that matters is how you compete as a team,” Barkley said ahead of the Eagles' NFC title game. “If you don’t have a great team, it won’t matter. I think I’m a prime example of that right now.”
HBO’s “Hard Knocks” covered the Giants' offseason and in it, general manager Joe Schoen told owner John Mara that the Chicago Bears were were offering more money to Barkley, and that the Eagles were out. The Houston Texans were also heavily linked to pursuing Barkley.
But Barkley knew he could have a chance at holding the Lombardi Trophy with the Eagles, and he was right. In the 2024 season, he played in 16 games for the Eagles, sitting out just the final when they’d already clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and he rushed for 2,005 yards on 345 attempts with 13 touchdowns, adding 33 receptions on 43 targets for 278 receiving yards and two more touchdowns.
In their Conference Championship game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Barkley was responsible for 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown in the opening drive.
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He now heads to Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles, where he will face the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome on Sunday, February 9.
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