Saquon Barkley, an All-Pro running back for the Eagles, talked highly of his coach, Nick Sirianni, just days after Philadelphia won the NFC East for the first time in 21 years.
However, Barkley, who played for the division rival Giants for the first six seasons of his career, wasn’t always in love with Sirianni.
Now he laughs and says:
“I couldn’t stand that mother——,” . “I could not.”
He continued by explaining that Barkley’s intense distaste for Sirianni stems from a January 2023 playoff game between Sirianni’s Eagles and Barkley’s Giants, in which Philadelphia defeated New York 38-7.
He continued by explaining that Barkley’s intense distaste for Sirianni stems from a January 2023 playoff game between Sirianni’s Eagles and Barkley’s Giants, in which Philadelphia defeated New York 38-7. The Fox broadcast cameras recorded Sirianni nodding his head demonstratively while staring into the camera following a Giants penalty as the Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Barkley stated:
“There’s a clip … and he just like went into the camera and he was like [Barkley nods head]. And that kind of stuck with me for a very long time,” “So I wasn’t a fan of him. I’ve told him this story before.”
“But now being here and seeing how obsessed he is—Hard Knocks and the behind-the-scenes that we have that you guys are able to see with him coaching, it doesn’t really do it enough justice,”
“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 [to] seeing what he’s all about. I think he does a really good job.”
“I couldn’t stand that motherf***er.” #Eagles RB Saquon Barkley on HC Nick Sirianni and how he felt about him when he played for the Giants…
“He’s the perfect coach for Philadelphia.”
(🎥 @JDumasReports) pic.twitter.com/iKZ6grYU1m
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 25, 2025
In March 2024, Barkley signed a somewhat notorious contract with the Eagles after becoming a free agency. During his first season in Philadelphia, Barkley helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl and became the seventh running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. His affections for Sirianni also evolved at that time.
