Saquon Barkley said in his first Philadelphia Eagles press conference that he could have handled his New York exit better.
“The Giants fans that were hurt by me leaving, I’ve got nothing but love and respect for all those guys and all those ladies and the fans,” Barkley, 27, said Thursday afternoon. “For the last six years they’ve been great to me, to my family. [We] created so many memories.
“I don’t think I really handled it the right way on social media,” Barkley continued. “I think I could have [given] a proper goodbye. Once I announced, everything kind of got hectic. But I’m forever grateful for the Giants fans and so thankful for them.”
Barkley wasn’t apologizing for signing in Philadelphia, though.
The city’s proximity to his house in northern New Jersey and to his childhood home in the Lehigh Valley, the $26 million guaranteed he got in his new contract, and the chance to compete for a championship were key factors in his decision.
“Unfortunately, the NFL’s a business,” he said. “And I was able to get to a place that I know I can come here and I can compete. I can win. I can stay close to home. And I’m just happy that I was able to be a part of this team.”
The Eagles only hosted local Philadelphia media at their introductory press conference for Barkley, former Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff and former Saints linebacker Zack Baun. So there were no questions about Barkley’s spat with Tiki Barber, and he was not pressed to discuss the Giants organization or his most recent dealings with GM Joe Schoen and the team.
He did admit it was “a little different” wearing his new black Eagles sweatshirt and seeing his daughter wear their green gear.
“We’ve been on the worse side of the rivalry, I guess you could say, the past couple years,” Barkley said with a smirk, alluding to the animosity they often had for the Eagles as frequent recent losers in their head-to-head games.
But he said he felt refreshed in a way.
“I think the point I am [at] in my career, being able to get a fresh start is good, something new,” he said.
He said he gravitates to the Eagles’ “mentality.”
“They want to win,” he said. “I know everyone’s stuck on last year. But being 11-6 and making it to the first round and that’s a ‘down’ year? That’s a great culture you want to be a part of: when you have that mindset where it’s like ‘No, we need to do way more.’”
Interestingly, Barkley said “the biggest thing” in his free agent decision was that “we wanted to stay close to home.”
“It’s a blessing that for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I can go right to my mama’s house or we can go to nana’s house,” he said. “My kids can see their grandparents. My kids can see their aunts and uncles and cousins. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be a Philadelphia Eagle.”
He said it felt great to sign his new contract on Thursday to close a chapter of his career that was cluttered with non-stop talk about his contract situation.
“The past few years I feel like so many people would come up to me about me getting tagged or talk about my contract, and now all that’s done,” he said. “The business side is done and we can keep the main thing the main thing. And that’s going out there, playing football and winning football games.”
He has a chip on his shoulder now to prove he’s worth the money the Eagles invested.
“I feel like I’m a special player,” he said. “I feel like I still got a lot left. I got a lot to prove. And I can’t wait to get on the field with those guys and prove it, and show it to the world.”
