NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Saquon Barkley embodied the rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles when he was running the football for Big Blue before the 2024 season.
Barkley played for the Giants from 2018 to 2023 and admitted on Wednesday he was no fan of Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during that time. But now that he torments defenses as part of Philadelphia, he can’t get enough of him.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with head coach Nick Sirianni against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 4, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I couldn’t stand that mother-bleeper,” Barkley said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I could not.”
Specifically, it was after the Eagles eliminated the Giants from the playoffs during the 2022 season – the last time New York was in the postseason. He said the moment of Sirianni relishing in the victory for the cameras was something that didn’t sit well with him.
“And that kind of stuck with me for a very long time. And so I wasn’t a fan of him,” he added.
Now, it’s totally different.
EAGLES’ SAQUON BARKLEY SHARES SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR CRITICS OF TUSH PUSH
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates a first down against Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Maryland. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Barkley said he believed that Sirianni “doesn’t get a lot of respect” and his attention to detail was the reason why he’s had so much success with Philadelphia.
Sirianni took over as head coach in 2021 after he had a stint with the Indianapolis Colts as the offensive coordinator. Since then, the Eagles have never had a losing season and were in two Super Bowls, winning one over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year.
He’s 58-25 in 83 games and is 6-3 in the playoffs.
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Eagles have two more games left in the regular season before heading back to the postseason. Philadelphia already clinched the NFC East title.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.