Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley didn’t think he would get booed in his first game back at MetLife Stadium facing the New York Giants on Sunday. He was wrong.
Barkley shared that he saw Giants fans burning his jersey in the parking lot of MetLife before kickoff at 1 p.m., and when he ran onto the field for the Eagles’ first drive of the game, he was greeted by loud boos ringing around the stadium.
In light of Barkley receiving backlash from his former fanbase, ex-Eagles center Jason Kelce took to social media to defend the running back.
“For the life of me, I don’t understand why Giants fans hate Saquon for what happened, and not the Giants organization for the fact he is an Eagle,” Kelce wrote. “They have absolutely no one to blame other than the Giants ownership and management decisions for why he is no longer a Giant. Obviously understand their hate of the Eagles, and desire for him not to succeed, just very odd this energy is directed at him more so than the organization…”
For the life of me, I don’t understand why Giants fans hate Saquon for what happened, and not the Giants organization for the fact he is an Eagle. They have absolutely no one to blame other than the Giants ownership and management decisions for why he is no longer a Giant.… https://t.co/qnyTeLRJT1
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) October 20, 2024
Barkley joined the Eagles this past offseason on a three-year, $37.75 million deal, securing his bag with an NFC East rival after the Giants seemed content letting him walk in free agency—according to the HBO Hard Knocks series, anyway.
Entering Sunday’s matchup against the Giants, Barkley has 482 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. The Eagles (3-2) currently sit second in the NFC East while the Giants (2-4) are in last place.
