25 March 2024 , 03:00
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll had nothing but positive words for Saquon Barkley after his controversial move to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barkley left the Giants and signed a deal for three years with the Eagles, reportedly making £30 million. The Giants didn't want to make a new deal with him after months of negotiations - with Barkley now playing against his old team two times every year.
After Barkley chose to join the Eagles, some Giants fans were fuming with their former star, who expressed wishes to remain with the team for life. But Coach Daboll has not reciprocated those thoughts.
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In his first interview since Barkley left the team, Daboll told reporters: "This is what it is every year in the NFL. You meet great people, whether it's coaches, players, staff members, and unfortunately everybody doesn't stick together the entire time, it's not what it was 30, 40 years ago."
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"I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Saquon and all the players that went on to other places. It's a special group when you're going through an NFL season, you've got to go through ups and downs. Wish him all the best, except when he is playing against the Giants."
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll spoke positively on Saquon Barkley (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Fans and former players had strong opinions about Barkley leaving the Giants, as Tiki Barber, a past Giants star, told him: "You're dead to me".
Barkley hit back at Barber on social media, saying "@TikiBarber lol yup you're the prime example of loyalty to a team," but then he removed his post. This was about Barber quitting the Giants in 2006 to become a TV analyst.
Now, Barkley is set to be the go-to running back for one of the top rushing teams, playing alongside Jalen Hurts. The Eagles have lost a key player, Jason Kelce, from their offensive line after he retired, but can fall back on Cam Jurgens, who looks ready to step in after providing solid depth in the past two seasons.
At 27 years old, Barkley has looked back to his best in recent years, despite struggling with injuries last season while the Giants' offensive line had issues as one of the weaker groups in the NFL.