After Dreadful 2024 Season, New York Giants Still Miss Saquon Barkley

New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito said Thursday that the team is still recovering in some ways from the departure of running back Saquon Barkley. With the dreadful Giants and playoff-bound Eagles prepare to face off in Week 18, DeVito reflected on what the franchise-defining player meant to the team.

DeVito noted Barkley’s obvious talents, which have resulted in a 2,000-yard rushing season with the Eagles. But the young quarterback spent far more time discussing Barkley’s impact in the locker room. He noted the veteran rusher as one of two strong leaders the team lost in the off-season, along with wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

“Two guys that were among the most vocal leaders on the offense, guys that have played a ton,” DeVito said. “Those two guys meant a tremendous amount, but obviously Saquon is my guy. He kind of helped bring me into this whole role and how everything went down. He was kind of my rock through it all. To see him go and how it went down, it was tough. Obviously, it’s a business as well.”

The Giants made the decision to part ways with Barkley during the off-season, conforming with lazy conventional wisdom. In recent years, many have argued that stars in the backfield are easily replaced and aren’t worth paying. But there’s no running back like Barkley.

New York signed doomed quarterback Daniel Jones to a $120 million extension in 2023, but when its star running back and franchise leader came calling, the team let him walk. The Eagles gave him what he deserved, a three-year, $37.75 million contract. He is now in line to receive MVP votes after rushing for 2,005 yards. He is the ninth rusher to earn 2,000 yards in a season and the first since Derrick Henry in 2020.

Now, Barkley and the Eagles are NFC East Champions and on their way to the playoffs. The Giants have released Jones and can only hope to start over again with a draft pick befitting a 3-13 team. The team can improve to 3-14 in Week 18, but a win out of nowhere against the Colts last week proved that the Giants aren’t tanking intentionally.

With the ultimate revenge game written in the stars for Week 18, Barkley made the surprising decision to decline the opportunity to break Eric Dickerson‘s longtime rushing record against his former team. Doing so would have been twisting the knife in a Giants organization that is likely more than aware of its mistake by now. The merciful move to rest for the playoffs may not pull as many headlines as the alternative, but Barkley’s horizons extend far beyond petty grievances now. He is finally with a contender.