Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones were teammates with the New York Giants for five seasons and became good friends during that period. When both were drafted, they seemed to be core players the team would build around.
However, circumstances did not follow that path. Barkley left the Giants as a free agent and signed with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles last spring. In his first season with Philadelphia, he rushed for 1,137 yards and eight touchdowns in ten games, en route to posting his best NFL season.
Now, Jones’ career with the Giants is over after he was released on Friday. The quarterback was benched in favor of Tommy DeVito and was unlikely to play in the team’s remaining seven games. In that scenario, Jones asked to be let go.
It’s not exactly the ending Giants fans envisioned for Jones after he was the team’s first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. But if anyone knew what it feels like to move on from the Giants after he was a top pick (No. 2 overall in 2018), then it’s Barkley.
Given their similar history with the Giants and the fact that they were teammates for five seasons, it was natural to ask Barkley for his thoughts on Jones’ release. Reporters covering the Eagles did so on Friday.
‘I have been in contact with him. Our friendship has remained strong throughout the entire process of me being here,” Barkley responded. “It sucks to see how everything turned out for him there. I only have good things to say about him. You won’t find anyone who can say negative things about him.”
“It’s the NFL. Hopefully, wherever he ends up, they’ll get someone to come work,” he added. “It didn’t work for me there, and I’m doing well here. Hopefully he can find the same fresh start and success.”
It’s unlikely Jones will get that fresh start during a reunion with Barkley in Philadelphia. But after he cleared waivers, many teams are interested in Jones as a bridge for a team with a young quarterback or looking to draft one, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports.
