Saquon Barkley is a Super Bowl champion in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFL‘s best running back racked up a massive 2,504 rushing yards across the regular season and the playoffs – a new record – as he helped drive Philly to glory in 2024.

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Barkley didn’t get into the end zone against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but he did contribute 18 touchdowns en-route to the big game, before quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles defense wrapped up the trophy.

And while Philly fans celebrated their win into the night, spare a thought for those who follow Barkley’s former team, the New York Giants.

For six years, Giants fans hoped that their superstar running back would one day lead them back to the promised land.

Barkley was taken second overall in the 2018 draft, but found limited success in New York, making the playoffs just once in six seasons.

And despite making the Pro Bowl twice during that time, the Giants allowed him to leave ahead of the 2024 season – for a division rival – no less.

‘Big Blue’ decided against paying Barkley last year, having already committed to pay quarterback Daniel Jones $160 million over four years in 2023 in one of the most baffling decisions in recent NFL history.

That same offseason, the Giants offered Barkley a three-year deal that topped out at just $13 million, with only $19.5 million guaranteed.

Barkley declined, and after being franchise-tagged for the 2023 season, ended up signing with the Eagles in March as a free agent on a three-year deal worth $37 million.

The Giants franchise, valued at $7.3 billion, were simply too cheap to keep the running back in uniform.

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Jones, meanwhile, was a disaster, losing his place as the Giants’ starting quarterback less than two years into his extension.

He was subsequently released and is now with the Minnesota Vikings.

And while general manager Joe Schoen stood by the decision at the time, co-owner John Mara infamously said on Hard Knocks that he’d ‘have a tough time sleeping’ if Barkley went to Philadelphia.

“He’s the most popular player we have by far,” Mara added.

What’s unfolded in the 11 months since has been nothing short of a nightmare for him and the entire front office that let the newly-crowned Offensive Player of the Year leave.

Barkley’s Super Bowl glory serves as the latest painful reminder of what could have been in New York.

The Eagles hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of a season that saw them lose just three games.

The Giants, meanwhile, finished 2024 bottom of the NFC East with a dismal 3-14 record.

And even while Philly were dominating Kansas City in the Super Bowl, many NFL fans – and even some former pros – took a moment to remember exactly how Barkley’s situation unfolded last March.

“Saquon Barkley is a Super Bowl Champion. The Giants must be SICK,” former quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote on X.

“Can’t believe the Giants let Saquon Barkley walk,” another said.

“The New York Giants gifted Saquon Barkley a Super Bowl by letting him go to Philly,” a third wrote.

“The Giants will never forget this nightmare,” a fourth concluded.

While New York’s multi-million dollar mistake will no doubt weigh heavy on the minds of fans for years to come, Barkley himself has remained gracious when talking about his former team and its fans throughout his record-breaking season.

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“My message to Giants fans would be there is nothing but love,” he said ahead of the Super Bowl.

“I’d be naive to think they weren’t supportive to me over the last six years.

“Obviously, a few of them were disappointed with my decision, but the way I look at it, all the things that happened over there and the love I have for them is the reason I am able to have the success I am having now.

“Just thankful for all those people over there.”

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