BREAKING: Saquon Barkley Signing 3-Year Deal with Philadelphia Eagles

After appearing in 74 games over six season for the New York Giants following his second overall section out of Penn State in the 2018 NFL Draft, running back Saquon Barkley is staying in the NFC East and joining the Philadelphia Eagles after signing a $37.8 million, three-year deal in free agency.

With D’Andre Swift skipping town for the Chicago Bears in free agency, there was an obvious hole in Philadelphia’s fierce rushing attack at the RB1 slot. The Eagles run the ball a lot, in a lot of different ways, to complement Jalen Hurts’ skill set.

When the Giants failed to franchise tag Barkley last week, Philadelphia was named the 7th-most likely team to sign the running back, at +3000 odds. Reportedly, the Giants did not even make an offer for Barkley’s services moving forward, with Barkley only receiving offers from the Bears, Texans, and of course, the Eagles.

SEE FULL ARTICLE: Giants Won’t Franchise Tag Saquon Barkley, Texans Named Favorites to Sign Star Running Back

While Barkley was notorious during his tenure in New York for often being injured, the former Penn State running back wasn’t actually unavailable all that often, save for the 2020-21 NFL season where he appeared in just two games. Besides that, Barkley missed just 11 games in his five other seasons in New York, but often dealt with nagging injuries that kept him at less than 100%.

If healthy, Barkley should be a a great replacement for Swift in the Eagles offense. Philadelphia represented the NFC in Super Bowl 57, and despite a disappointing finish last season, is still a dangerous team and a Super Bowl contender in 2024-25.

Barkley totaled 5,211 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns in New York, fourth and sixth all-time on the Giants career rushing leaders lists. Barkley was also a dual-threat out of the backfield, hauling in 288 passes for 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in six seasons.

Barkley joins Odell Beckham Jr. as a Giants offensive player, a fan favorite, that left the organization with plenty of good football still ahead of him over the past decade. I draw this comparison because as the Giants face questions at the quarterback position, New York has just lost a key part of its identity, which is becoming a familiar taste for Giants fans. A rebuild could be just around the corner for the Giants despite making the playoffs just a season ago in 2022-23.

The Giants will be forced to play against Barkley at least twice a season, playing in the same NFC East division as the Eagles. After failing to even attempt to re-sign Barkley, letting other key players like safety Xavier McKinney walk, and already shying away from their mega-extension quarterback in Daniel Jones, New York is certainly at a crossroads right now, and it’s not a pretty one.

For the Eagles, once again, adding Barkley is both a way of replacing D’Andre Swift as well as staying committed to winning a Super Bowl with Jalen Hurts.

How will Barkley fare in his first season with the Eagles? Will Philadelphia’s rushing attack be worse, better, or roughly the same as it was in 2023-24? To join the discussion, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook!