New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones had a rough Week 1 performance against the Minnesota Vikings, throwing two interceptions and failing to facilitate a drive that ended in the end zone. Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard even said that the Vikings felt “a little bit bad” for Jones during his performance on Sunday.
While the ensuing days have led to even more scrutiny for Jones, it also led to an old friend getting in touch with him — former Giants and now Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
“I was there [New York] for six years. I got a lot of friends there, so [I] feel bad for those guys, and hopefully they’re able to bounce back and get things rolling … I talked to him [Jones]. I’m really good friends with DJ. Obviously, not the game that he wanted. For me, it was just to let him know that just go out there and play free, and do what you do best,” Barkley told reporters on Thursday.
Jones finished the 28-6 loss with just 186 passing yards and a 44.3 passer rating, while completing 52.4% of his passes. It was Jones’ first regular-season start since tearing his ACL in November of last season.
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On the other hand, Barkley shone in his debut game with the Eagles, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns, while also reeling in an 18-yard touchdown pass en route to a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Barkley, who spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Giants (2018-23), signed a three-year, $37.8 million deal with the Eagles this offseason. New York replaced Barkley in the running back room with former Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary and fifth-round draft pick Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The year prior, the Giants placed the franchise tag on Barkley — before working out a revised one-year contract — after signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal. An offseason edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” revealed that the Giants attempted to trade up from No. 6 to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, presumably North Carolina‘s quarterback Drake Maye. New York ultimately stayed put and took LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, who had five receptions for 66 yards in his NFL regular-season debut.
Next up for the Giants is a road matchup against the NFC East-rival Washington Commanders (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), while the Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
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