Kayvon Thibodeaux has no ill-will toward Saquon Barkley leaving Giants for Eagles: ‘You’ve got to get paid’

Saquon Barkley leaving the New York Giants after six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles was a tough pill to swallow. Barkley left New York and traveled down Interstate 95 for the Giants’ NFC East rival in March, landing a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles.

With an average annual salary of $12.58 million per year, Barkley is the fourth-highest-paid running back in the NFL. The price tag may not have been worth it for the Giants, but it was for the Eagles.

The Giants might be upset Barkley bolted for Philadelphia, but Kayvon Thibodeaux isn’t. 

“It’s a business at the end of the day, I never really took it hard,” Thibodeaux said on “The Rich Eisen Show,” via Pro Football Talk. “I reached out to him. This is a not-for-long league, so you’ve got to get paid when you can. And you can’t miss out on any dollars. 

“We’ve seen it before with past contracts and past players, so I am happy he was able to get the contract he was seeking.”

Barkley was one of the top running backs in Giants franchise history, ranking fourth all time in rushing yards (5,211) and seventh in yards from scrimmage (7,311). He and Tiki Barber are the only two players in franchise history with 5,000+ rushing yards and 2,000+ receiving yards, and Barkley was the quickest player in Giants history to rush for 5,000 yards (70 games). His 35 100-yard scrimmage games in a Giants uniform trailed only Barber (81). 

Barkley has dealt with the aftermath of going from the Giants to the Eagles, addressing the situation on social media and sharing a funny story back in March regarding his 5-year-old daughter at his introductory press conference. 

“She knows there’s a lot of history in my career with the Eagles,” Barkley said. “When I told her that we’re going to be going to Philly, she kind of was just like, ‘Does that mean we’re going to win now?’ And I just started smiling again and I was like, ‘Hopefully. Hopefully we can win some more games.'”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also added fuel to the fire by telling Giants fans in Philadelphia “We got your best player.” The ire of Barkley leaving has appeared to move on in New York, but the rivalry will be renewed this fall. 

The Giants play the Eagles in Weeks 7 and 18 this year. Barkley returns to MetLife Stadium in Week 7.