There wasn’t always Brotherly Love between Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and head coach Nick Sirianni.
Barkley admitted to reporters on Wednesday that while he was with the Giants from 2018 to 2023, he was not a fan of Sirianni.
Barkley pointed to a moment during the broadcast of the Eagles’ 38-7 divisional round win over the Giants in 2022 when Sirianni was confidently nodding postgame.
“I couldn’t stand that motherf—er,” he said. “I could not.”
Now, Barkley raves about Sirianni, whom he has played under since signing with the Eagles as a free agent after the 2023 season.
“He doesn’t get a lot of respect,” Barkley said. “I don’t know why he doesn’t kind of get the respect he should get, in my opinion. You really don’t hear about him. How long has he been coaching here? Five years? Who’s been a better coach the last five years than Nick Sirianni?
“Like, he’s so obsessed with the little things, and there’s a reason why this team has been super successful. So it’s been pretty cool to be able to go from going against him and not being a fan of him, and then seeing what he’s all about.
“He’s the perfect coach for Philadelphia. Like, what he’s standing for and how he operates.”
Barkley helped Sirianni and the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX win last season after rushing for 2,005 yards for 13 touchdowns on 345 carries in the regular season. He finished third in MVP voting behind Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Philadelphia has already clinched the NFC East with a 10-5 record.