Long before they paired up as members of the Philadelphia Eagles, running back Saquon Barkley and offensive lineman Nick Gates played side-by-side as teammates for the New York Giants.
Gates marveled at Barkley’s dynamic athleticism and game-breaking ability which is why he, like so many others, was shocked when the Giants let him walk.
Barkley, of course, went on to dominate at historic levels here in 2025, making the decision seem all the more “crazy” to Gates.
“I thought they were crazy,” Gates told the New York Post. “How do you let that type of player go? The offensive line groups I was part of weren’t super-great. We were always ranked bottom-half. He still did pretty well with what he had. It’s cool to see him reach the goals everybody knew he could reach.”
General manager Joe Schoen is strict when it comes to his positional valuations and the two sides couldn’t bridge what was rumored to be a $2 million gap.
As a result, the Giants lost the face of their franchise for absolutely nothing, while Barkley helped lead the Eagles to Super Bowl LIX — a nightmare scenario for co-owner John Mara.
Unfortunately for Gates, he won’t appear in the game after being placed on injured reserve (IR) but will still be on the sideline supporting his team and former Giants counterpart, Saquon Barkley.
