Nick Sirianni has heard plenty of trash talk from New York Giants fans over the past three years, but the Philadelphia Eagles head coach says he has a new comeback.
Sirianni spoke with reporters at minicamp on Tuesday about how Giants fans have even more anger toward the Eagles after Philadelphia signed star running back Saquon Barkley. While Barkley has been hearing the “traitor” talk all offseason, Sirianni says the signing has given him some new ammo when Giants fans try to get under the coach’s skin.
“Sometimes you see Giants fans around here with it being so close and, you know, they give me a good like, ‘Hey, Go Giants,’” Sirianni told reporters, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “And I typically let it go, but if the guy gets me good enough, I usually say, ‘You know, I got your best player.’”
Barkley signed a 3-year, $37.7 million deal with the Eagles this offseason that could be worth up to $47 million. You can understand why it sickens Giants fans that their best offensive player joined one of their biggest rivals, but New York could have kept Barkley if they were willing to pay more.
Judging by some of his offseason comments, Barkley seems ready to embrace all of the hate he gets from Giants fans in 2024 and beyond. Sirianni is obviously enjoying it, too.
