Saquon Barkley reveals he ‘couldn’t stand’ Nick Sirianni before joining Eagles
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Saquon Barkley embodied the rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles when he ran the ball for Big Blue ahead of the 2024 season.
Barkley played for the Giants from 2018 to 2023 and admitted Wednesday that he was not a fan of Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during that time.
But now that he’s tormenting defenses as a part of Philadelphia, he can’t get enough of Sirianni.
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Saquon Barkley (26) of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with head coach Nick Sirianni against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on September 4, 2025 in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I couldn’t stand that mother scream,” Barkley said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I couldn’t.”
He was specifically referring to when the Eagles eliminated the Giants from the playoffs during the 2022 season, the last time New York made the postseason. He said Sirianni enjoying the victory in front of the cameras was something that didn’t sit well with him.
“And that stuck with me for a long time. That’s why I wasn’t a fan of him,” he added.
Now it’s totally different.
EAGLES’ SAQUON BARKLEY SHARES SIMPLE MESSAGE FOR TUSH PUSH CRITICS
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates a first down against Washington Commanders safety Will Harris (3) during the first half on Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Maryland. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Barkley said Sirianni “doesn’t get a lot of respect” and his attention to detail is the reason the coach has had so much success with Philadelphia.
Sirianni took over as head coach in 2021 after one season with the Indianapolis Colts as offensive coordinator. Since then, the Eagles have not had a losing season and played in two Super Bowls, winning one over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year.
Sirianni is 58-25 in 83 games and 6-3 in the playoffs.
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The Eagles have two more games left in the regular season before returning to the postseason. Philadelphia had already won the NFC East title.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.