Saquon Barkley signed a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency this past March. Not surprisingly, it rubbed a lot of New York Giants fans the wrong way.
It stung for the Giants faithful to see their prized running back join their NFC East rivals, and it also peeved former Big Blue superstar Tiki Barber, who playfully criticized Barkley for his decision.
But another former New York running back isn’t hating on Barkley for chasing the money.
During a recent appearance on the Talkin’ Ball podcast with Pat Leonard, Jacobs said he completely understood Barkley’s selection.
“I loved it,” Jacobs said. “The guy gave the Giants a lot from the time he was drafted. He did everything they asked him to do.”
Jacobs was as fiery as they come during his time in the Big Apple. He actually had two separate stints with the G-Men, initially playing with the club from 2005 through 2011 and then re-joining the Giants in 2013 after a brief one-year stop with the San Francisco 49ers.
So, for Jacobs to be okay with Barkley moving on over to Philadelphia, that says something.
“He wanted to be in New York. he wanted to play with the Giants. He didn’t want to leave. That’s just what it is,” added Jacobs. “So he ended up having an opportunity to get $12.5 million [per year] from our rival right down the street. I mean it sucks, but I’m happy for him. Because he deserved to make every dollar he could possibly make, because he’s put the hard work and dedication in to be able to do that.”
Jacobs won a pair of Super Bowl championships with the Giants and registered back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2007 and 2008, averaging a robust five yards per carry both seasons. He also racked up 15 rushing touchdowns in the latter year.
Meanwhile, Barkley was initially selected by New York with the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. He made two Pro Bowl appearances with Big Blue, most recently doing so in 2022 after rattling off 1,312 yards on the ground.
This past season, Barkley recorded 962 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games, logging a pedestrian 3.9 yards per attempt.
We’ll see if Saquon Barkley can stay healthy and regain some of his efficiency with the Eagles.
