Saquon Barkley gave Xavier McKinney ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment as former teammates face off for first time

PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney gave their heart and soul to the New York Giants in their combined 10 seasons together. Barkley was the pulse of the offense, while McKinney was arguably the same on defense. 

It was hard to mention the Giants without mentioning Barkley or McKinney. Those days are no more. 

Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason to complete one of the best offenses in the NFL. McKinney signed with the Green Bay Packers to be one of the key pieces of a revamped secondary. 

The Eagles wanted both, but McKinney fell out of their price range. Barkley and McKinney would have been teammates again, yet will face each other for the first time in Friday’s season opener.

“I look forward to playing against Xavier,” Barkley said. “Not only is he a great player, but he’s a great leader. When we were in New York, the way that he led, the way that he worked, he drives to be great. I know he’s doing that over there.

“Happy for him. Happy he got the contract he wanted to get. I’m really looking forward to going against him.”

Barkley told a fun story about McKinney from their days with the Giants. When McKinney was a rookie coming out of Alabama, he was the hot shot pick with a first-round grade (McKinney was taken in the second round at No. 36 overall). 

Already entering his third year, Barkley had to show McKinney the league wasn’t going to be easy. 

“My claim to fame with Xavier is, I gave him his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment,” Barkley said with a smile. “In practice, we ran a gap scheme play and I ran up the middle and he thudded me up. I kind of gotten the best of him there. 

“That’s probably on the back of his mind. He probably gonna try to get that back against me.”

The respect is mutual in the other locker room. McKinney is well aware of the challenge Barkley presents for his new team. 

“He’s just dynamic with the ball,” McKinney said, via The Athletic. “He’s pretty much all you want a back to do. You’ve seen him over the years, the things that he’s done. When he has the ball in his hands, even when he’s running routes, he just can do it all. He’s a special back. One of one.”

Barkley and McKinney have exchanged text messages this offseason, remaining close after their days with the Giants passed. Both players got the contracts they deserved this offseason, and are looking to take their new teams to the next level. 

“I’m excited to show the fans what we got,” Barkley said. “We’re gonna get their best, so we gotta be ready and execute the game plan.”