Saquon Barkley was hailed as “one of the greats” after the Philadelphia Eagles star overcame boos and burned jerseys to dominate the New York Giants on his return to MetLife Stadium.
Following the 2023 NFL season, the Giants surprisingly chose not to franchise tag Barkley – a move that allowed the running back to hit free agency for the first time in his career. With the NFL world serving as his oyster, the 27-year-old – and Pennsylvania native – controversially signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles, leaving Giants fans equal parts sad, bitter, and resentful.
Barkley enjoyed six years with the Giants after the franchise selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Despite injuries, he was one of the team’s most popular players in a difficult time for Giants fans, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and exciting on the field even during a dismal 2023 season; across 14 games last season, Barkley turned 247 carries into 962 yards and six touchdowns behind a porous offensive line.
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Before the schedule had even come out, Barkley’s return to East Rutherford while representing an NFC East rival had been circled. As he arrived in the Meadowlands, Giants fans burned Barkley’s old jersey and showered him in boos throughout the game, desperate to see Big Blue overwhelm their hero-turned-villain.
But armed with a strong offensive line, the running back was let loose to the tune of 176 yards – an average of 10.4 per carry – and a touchdown. Jalyx Hunt, the rookie linebacker selected by the Eagles in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, tallied the first sack of his career late in the game. The Philadelphia pass-rush enjoyed an equally impressive performance as Barkley, consistently getting home to the tune of eight sacks as the unit overwhelmed the Giants offensive line and quarterback Daniel Jones.
What was the secret to the Eagles defense’s dominant showing? For Hunt, it was the boos, burnt jerseys, and vitriol being spewed from the stands at MetLife Stadium.
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Saquon Barkley was a fan favorite with the Giants before joining the Eagles, their NFC East rivals (
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“Of course. We fed off the crowd and used the boos as motivation, but it wasn’t for them: it was feeding off Saquon and his energy,” Hunt exclusively told Mirror US Sport. “Watching him go, it felt like every time they booed him, and the harder they booed him, the longer he would run. The harder he would run.
“It was inspiring, to be honest. As soon as he touched it, you could hear the boos – ‘booooooo’ – then he just spun off of it and ran downfield. For us on the sideline, it was like, ‘man, we can’t let them win, we can’t let Saquon get booed’.
“He’s done so much just for the league, he’s such a good back. He’s one of the greats for sure, and he carries that aura with him, so we just fed off his example.”
The 4-2 Eagles are now second in the NFC East behind the 5-2 Washington Commanders. Philadelphia has struggled for consistency through seven weeks of the 2024 NFL season, but the team has now strung back-to-back wins together for the first time since November 2023 – and Hunt believes the atmosphere within the organization, paired with talents like Barkley, can deliver further greatness on the field.
“We have a good culture, and while the culture helps, the culture doesn’t win games,” Hunt admitted. “It’s the people that do it. Guys like B.G. [Brandon Graham] and Saquon set the tone to make sure we stay hungry and don’t get complacent.”
Barkley’s Eagles take on the 3-4 Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium at Sunday, Oct. 27.
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