Why Giants reportedly 'weren't thrilled' about Eagles' signing of Saquon Barkley

Shortly after the New York Giants allowed running back Saquon Barkley to reach free agency back in March, it was learned that he agreed to a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to join the rival Philadelphia Eagles. 

According to a piece produced by Jordan Raanan and Tim McManus of ESPN that was published on Wednesday, the Giants have lingering questions regarding Barkley's move to Philadelphia.

Raanan and McManus shared that "front office sources" revealed that "the Giants weren't thrilled that the framework of [the Barkley-Eagles deal] was reportedly done before the start of the free agent negotiating window." 

The ESPN story added that "the Eagles didn't understand why the Giants cared considering they weren't making a real push to re-sign the player they drafted No. 2 in the 2018 NFL Draft."

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin raised eyebrows in March when he implied that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman violated NFL rules by speaking directly with Barkley, a former Penn State star, during the legal tampering portion of free agency that occurred before the new league year began. 

The Eagles subsequently denied any wrongdoing and insisted "that all player recruiting [was] facilitated through the player’s agent."

Ultimately, the NFL cleared the Eagles of any tampering charges. To compare, the Atlanta Falcons were docked a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and fined $250,000 after it was determined they violated the league's anti-tampering policy regarding the offseason signings of former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and two other free agents. 

The Giants attempted to sign Barkley to a contract extension from the fall of 2022 up until the club retained his rights for 2023 via the non-exclusive franchise tag. 

The "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" program that aired this past summer showed Giants general manager Joe Schoen was never going to match Philadelphia's offer even though Giants co-owner John Mara made it known he'd "have a tough time sleeping" if Barkley signed with the Eagles. 

Unlike the win-now Eagles, the Giants will enter this week's matchup versus 3-2 Philadelphia at 2-4 and in the middle of a roster rebuild. Signing any veteran ball-carrier to a big-money contract made little sense for Schoen earlier this year, but it nevertheless seems individuals within the Giants remain displeased with how the Eagles acquired Barkley roughly seven months ago.