New York Giants Head Coach Breaks Silence On Their Key Player Controversial Exit…

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has spoken out on Saquon Barkley’s decision to leave the team to join the Philadelphia Eagles, with many Giants fans furious with the running back

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll had nothing but positive words for Saquon Barkley after his controversial move to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley left the Giants and signed a deal for three years with the Eagles, reportedly making £30 million. The Giants didn’t want to make a new deal with him after months of negotiations – with Barkley now playing against his old team two times every year.

After Barkley chose to join the Eagles, some Giants fans were fuming with their former star, who expressed wishes to remain with the team for life. But Coach Daboll has not reciprocated those thoughts.

In his first interview since Barkley left the team, Daboll told reporters: “This is what it is every year in the NFL. You meet great people, whether it’s coaches, players, staff members, and unfortunately everybody doesn’t stick together the entire time, it’s not what it was 30, 40 years ago.”

“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Saquon and all the players that went on to other places. It’s a special group when you’re going through an NFL season, you’ve got to go through ups and downs. Wish him all the best, except when he is playing against the Giants.”

Fans and former players had strong opinions about Barkley leaving the Giants, as Tiki Barber, a past Giants star, told him: “You’re dead to me”.

Barkley hit back at Barber on social media, saying “@TikiBarber lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team,” but then he removed his post. This was about Barber quitting the Giants in 2006 to become a TV analyst.

Now, Barkley is set to be the go-to running back for one of the top rushing teams, playing alongside Jalen Hurts. The Eagles have lost a key player, Jason Kelce, from their offensive line after he retired, but can fall back on Cam Jurgens, who looks ready to step in after providing solid depth in the past two seasons.

At 27 years old, Barkley has looked back to his best in recent years, despite struggling with injuries last season while the Giants’ offensive line had issues as one of the weaker groups in the NFL.

REAL MORE:

Giants owner John Mara ‘hated’ seeing Saquon Barkley leave team to sign with Eagles..

Speaking to reporters at the annual NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., Giants owner John Mara made it clear that he wasn’t happy to see running back Saquon Barkley leave town, especially for the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Mara said, via SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes, that he “hated” seeing Barkley leave the team, and texted the back to tell him it made him “sick” that he wasn’t able to return.

Mara also said he was “hoping” the Giants would find a way to keep Barkley on the team, and that he told general manager Joe Schoen he “wouldn’t be thrilled” if Barkley left for another team in the NFC East, as he ended up doing.

Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles on the first day of free agency, ending a six-year run with the Giants, the team that drafted him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

“It’s definitely a little different,” Barkley said at his Eagles introductory news conference. “But seeing my daughter put on the Eagle stuff, she’s seen we’ve been on the worse side of the rivalry, I guess you could say the past couple of years.

“When it came to my attention that they were a team interested in me I definitely got excited about it. Watching from afar everything that they’re about, the culture, the fans, definitely got excited about it. I’m happy to be a part of this and ready to go.”

Barkley also admitted then that he did have some regrets about how he handled things on the way out of New York.

“Once I announced it everything kind of got hectic,” said Barkley. “I don’t think I handled it the right way, I think I could’ve given a proper goodbye.

“To the Giants fans who were hurt by me leaving I have nothing but respect for them. For the last six years they’ve been great to me and my family and created so many memories, I am forever grateful and thankful for them.”

Last month at the scouting combine, 49ers General Manager John Lynch called receiver Brandon Aiyuk a player “we want to keep around for a long time.”

While there have been rumors about Pittsburgh’s interest in trading for Aiyuk, Lynch did not change his tune about wanting to keep Aiyuk around the Bay Area when speaking to the media on Monday.

“We’re actively talking with Brandon, trying to figure something out,” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “[W]e have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done, and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We’ll see.

“There’s a number of different directions that it could go, but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”

As for those rumors out of Pittsburgh, Lynch addressed them by saying, “I promise you, nothing’s going on there.”

Aiyuk, 26, was a first-round pick in 2020 and is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2024. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2023 after recording 75 catches for a career-high 1,342 yards with seven touchdowns in 16 games. Aiyuk also caught nine passes for 149 yards with a TD in three postseason games.