It wasn't supposed to end this way for Saquon Barkley and the NY Giants. Some people had hopes that he'd end up playing his entire career in East Rutherford. Instead, he's now playing for the enemy and getting into social media battles with fans? Say it ain't so.
That's exactly what's going on, as Barkley was spotted at Game 6 of the 76ers-Knicks series. New York came out on top, but from the moment Barkley was spotted courtside, NY fans united as one to go after him both online and by booing him at the Wells Fargo Center. Barkley clearly didn't like this, firing back at the hate he was receiving:
It’s been two months… lol no way ya can still be this mad! Mf can’t even go to a basketball game 😂😂😂
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) May 3, 2024
Saquon Barkley and Giants fans beefing is a rough look for everyone
As you might have been able to guess, there were countless replies to Barkley's tweet above. This included people calling him out for being a 'traitor' by signing with the Eagles instead of staying with the G-Men for the long haul.
Barkley was quick to respond there too, however, saying that he was never given an offer this offseason from Giants general manager Joe Schoen. Since nothing came in from Schoen, Barkley looked elsewhere and landed a $37.75 million offer from Howie Roseman, which he took.
Let me educate some of you fans here… I can’t bail or become a traitor if I never got an offer to come back.. so I went to the organization I felt that was the best and after already being here for a month man I’m excited to be a eagle ! Go birds 🦅
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) May 3, 2024
The Giants tried to get something done with Barkley last year, but the guaranteed money was reportedly something No. 26 and Schoen couldn't meet in the middle on. Barkley played the 2023 campaign on the franchise tag, rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns.
This came after he rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards in 2022, playing a massive role in helping the Giants get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The injury concerns were still there on Barkley, though, especially with him suffering a high-ankle sprain early on last campaign vs. Arizona.
Schoen was never going to give him the kind of money the Eagles did in free agency. The main beef Giants fans have is that Barkley was receiving high interest from other teams, but he chose to sign with Philadelphia, something a lot of people will never forgive him for.
Hey, we get it, it's a business decision and he made the best call for him and his family. It's going to suck to see Barkley rock an Eagles jersey moving forward, but things are being made worse with him feuding with New Yorkers. The former No. 2 overall pick was once beloved by just about everyone in NY and New Jersey. Unfortunately, that's clearly no longer the case.