New York Giants fans and players are already in their feelings watching Saquon Barkley win with the Philadelphia Eagles, but Tonya Johnson, Barkley’s mom, made sure to rub a little extra salt in the wound after Philly’s blowout win in the NFC Championship Game.
While her son shredded the Washington Commanders with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Johnson was asked why Barkley never reached this level of success with the Giants. Her response? Absolutely savage.
“You really want me to answer that? Everybody else knows why it didn’t happen,” Johnson said to Bob Brookover from NJ.com. “It’s great for him to finally be somewhere where he was able to showcase his talent without people talking about this or that and hearing that running backs don’t deserve this or deserve that. Yeah, OK, now we see.”
Saquon Barkley’s parents Alibay Barkley and Tonya Johnson #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Cw3SskC4sr
— O.J. Spivey (@OJPhilly) January 27, 2025
Translation: blame the Giants, specifically general manager Joe Schoen. If there was any doubt about how Barkley and his inner circle felt about his exit from New York, Johnson put it all out there with one quote. Big Blue can’t help but agree—because the more Barkley thrives with Philly, the worse Schoen’s decision-making looks.
Barkley’s Super Bowl run is worst-case scenario for Giants
It’s not just that Barkley is playing well. He’s quite literally doing things he never did with the G-Men. For years, Big Blue failed to build an offensive line to support him and paired him with an overpaid middling quarterback. After dragging out contentious contract talks to bring him back in 2023, they let him walk in free agency just a year later—choosing not to commit to the player who carried their offense for years and genuinely wanted to stay.
The result? Barkley landed with the Eagles and immediately reminded everyone why he was once considered a generational talent. He’s not just having a great season—he’s rewriting his entire career narrative. With one game left, Barkley is poised to set the all-time single-season rushing record, postseason included (only behind Terrell Davis), and he’s one win away from a Super Bowl title.
Meanwhile, the Giants finished 3-14 and truly got nothing in return for this departure—not even a compensatory draft pick. Letting him go wasn’t just arguably the worst decision of Schoen's short tenure—it was catastrophic.
As Barkley now prepares for the biggest game of his life, his mom’s comments echo what Giants fans have been screaming all season: this never should’ve happened. Losing Barkley hurt, but losing him to the Eagles? That’s a different level of misery. Then bringing the Eagles to the Super Bowl? Unfathomable misery.
Schoen and the front office gambled and lost big. Fans won't forget. Teammates won't forget. Now we know family won't forget either. Schoen has to treat this public indictment like a wake-up call and figure it out ASAP, or else he'll be on the outside looking in quickly.