Nick Sirianni is ready to return during the 2024 season and for two years after that in case Giants fans annoy the Eagles head coach.
“Giants fans sometimes yell at me when we’re in a close game, ‘Go Giants,'” Sirianni told reporters at OTAs on Tuesday. “I usually just leave it at that, but if they get a good catch on me, I’ll say, ‘Look, here’s the best player.'”
Running back Saquon Barkley, who signed a three-year contract with the Eagles as a free agent, spent the first six years of his career with the Giants.
There have been numerous negotiations to keep the former No. 2 overall pick with the Giants for the remainder of his career, potentially even retroactive to the 2022 season, and Barkley has expressed similar sentiments when asked about the subject in the past.
But after being franchise tagged and ultimately signing a one-year contract for the 2023 season, Barkley was traded to the Giants’ NFC East rival on the first day of free agency, joining an offensive line that also included quarterback Jalen Hurts and star wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“I was picturing him on the sideline and us watching the play on the sideline, Saxon getting by somebody, Saxon getting by somebody, doing it again,” Sirianni said of a Philadelphia defender missing a tackle during OTAs. “… I wasn’t happy that the defensive player missed the tackle in that situation, but I was really happy that No. 26, Saxon, was on my side and got by somebody.”
According to StatMuse, Barkley rushed for 615 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games with the Eagles, including two rushing scores and 97 total yards as the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a win over Philadelphia in the 2023 season finale, his final game with the team.
Barkley and the Eagles are scheduled to face the Giants in Weeks 7 and 18 of the 2024 season before returning to MetLife Stadium on Oct. 20.
“I was with the Giants before I came to the Eagles, so I guess it didn’t feel weird,” Barkley told reporters at OTAs. “But it’s been six years in the same place, six years in the same uniform, so it’s fun. It feels like a fresh start. I feel like I’m a rookie again, getting to know everybody, learning the culture, fitting in the culture.”
“And like you said, this feels like home. I finally got here and I love it.”
