Saquon Barkley had been a franchise cornerstone for the New York Giants since they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, but the team reportedly had no interest in re-signing him this offseason.

Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the running back, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The contract features $26 million in guarantees and could be worth up to $46.75 million with incentives.

While it is surely a blow to see him go to a division rival, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported New York didn't offer a contract to Barkley and "never really had any intention of signing" him.

There is something to be said about not using significant resources on the running back position in today's NFL, and perhaps no team knows that better than the Giants now after using their No. 2 pick on Barkley.

The Penn State product was the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowler who looked like one of the best running backs in the league at times during his tenure in New York, but things still largely didn't work out.

NFL @NFL

2,028 scrimmage yds. 15 TDs. OROY.<br><br>Remember how dynamic <a href="">@saquon</a> was in Year 1? <a href="">

Injuries didn't help, as he suffered a torn ACL during the 2020 campaign and battled ankle setbacks at times. Neither did the talent around him, with Raanan pointing out "the Giants never really fixed their quarterback or offensive line situations during Barkley's six seasons" as they went a combined 34-64-1.

New York never finished better than 17th in total offense with Barkley in the backfield.

Yet the Eagles will almost surely finish better than 17th in 2024.

Between Jalen Hurts, Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, they will be the darlings of the fantasy-football community next season. That is also plenty of offensive talent that should work together on the field given the pick-your-position situation opposing defenses will face.

They cannot afford to stack the box against Barkley—like they so often did when he was in New York—with the Brown and Smith combination on the outside. That should lead to more running lanes than he ever saw during his time on the Giants, which could result in a career-best season.

And if it does and the Eagles make another deep playoff run after reaching the Super Bowl during the 2022 campaign?

New York may rethink its decision to let Barkley go without an offer.