National Football League

Eagles deny they spoke directly with Saquon Barkley during tampering period

Updated Mar. 14, 2024 12:47 p.m. ET

Saquon Barkley's decision to jump from the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Eagles has caused even more controversy.

Penn State coach James Franklin, who coached Barkley in college and is excited to see him return to Pennsylvania, mentioned that the star running back had a conversation with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman during the recruiting process.

"For him now to come back and be able to play within the state, in Philadelphia, he said that was one of the first things that Howie said to him on the phone as part of his sales pitch to him was not only the Philadelphia Eagles and that, but obviously the connection with Penn State and the fan base as well," Franklin told reporters on Tuesday.

The potential issue is that general managers and other team personnel aren't allowed to speak directly to free agents during the legal tampering window in the 52 hours ahead of the official start of free agency, which was on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. Any contact beforehand is restricted to a player's agent.

The Eagles have denied that they spoke directly to Barkley too early, but the NFL is reportedly looking into potential tampering.

Barkley's decision to agree to a three-year, $37.75 million deal ($26 million guaranteed) with the Eagles has been met with some backlash in New York. Former Giants running back Tiki Barber was chief among the critics, saying on his radio show that Barkley is "dead to us."

Barber later told ESPN that he was joking when he made the comment, but Barkley didn't perceive it that way on social media. The new Eagles running back wrote in a pair of social media posts that he received more guaranteed money than the Giants had offered him, writing that "if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs."

"@TikiBarber you been a hater since I got to New York ... and all the 'Dead to me' talk don't smile in my face when you see me," Barkley added in another social media post.

Tiki Barber to Saquon Barkley: "You're dead to us"

Not only is Barkley returning to the state where he starred in college, but he's also returning to the area where he grew up. He spent his high school days in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, located just 60 miles north of Philadelphia.

Barkley quickly emerged as one of the game's most exciting running backs after the Giants selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting that season and had the second-best season of his career in 2022, rushing for 1,312 yards and adding 338 receiving yards while scoring 10 touchdowns.

The Giants placed the franchise tag on Barkley following that season, but they failed to come to a long-term agreement. New York opted not to place the tag on Barkley again after the 27-year-old rushed for 962 yards and scored 10 total touchdowns in 2023.