Many saw Saquon Barkley’s choice to join the Philadelphia Eagles, New York’s largest division rival, and leave the New York Giants as a betrayal and a gut punch. Barkley was a running back for the Giants. It’s actually none of these. Before the start of free agency, Barkley apparently didn’t even receive an offer from the Giants, and it’s possible that the Giants would have been better off without him than with him. After everything that happened during their first six seasons together, Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports thinks the Giants made the right decision in not spending the money that would have likely been required for the two parties to keep their partnership going. Related: Saquon Barkley shares a heartfelt message on social media and expresses regret about how he handled his departure. The Giants have spent the last six years building a squad around Barkley, but their record of 34-64-1 and one playoff victory are all they have to show for it. It was sage of them to put Barkey behind them, decline an offer, and spend their money elsewhere. With the money Barkley gave them, New York added Jon Runyan and Jermaine Eluemunor to strengthen their offensive line. Their key move was to pay Brian Burns and get him in order to combine him, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence in a pass rush. Barkley believes that he is playing in a better scheme and behind a more seasoned offensive line than he had in New York during his playing days. Barkley will remain in his prime for at least the next two years in Philadelphia, where he will be a part of an offense that features Dallas Goedert, DeVonta Smith, and A.J. Brown as Jalen Hurts’ primary targets. The Eagles aim to capitalize on their window of opportunity to contend for the Super Bowl. Barkley’s career and the Eagles offense will soar if he is positioned behind that offensive line. In addition, the running back joins a scheme that may allow him to utilize more of his receiving abilities, which the Giants did not fully utilize until after his rookie campaign, during which he recorded a career-high 91 receptions on 121 pass targets.
