It was a Wednesday before a Sunday game, the first day of the game week reporters have access to NFL locker rooms, which means it’s officially Saquon Barkley Week here, where Barkley won the 2018 rookie of the year award and in six seasons with the New York Giants became the franchise’s fourth-leading rusher.

The Giants could have paid Barkley after the 2022 season, when he led them to their only playoff berth since 2016. Instead, they placed the franchise tag on him. Barkley responded by rushing for 962 yards last season despite missing three games and playing through at least a few others with a high ankle sprain.

As Saquon Barkley prepares for his first game against his former team, the New York Giants, the Eagles star running back expresses confidence that Giants fans won’t greet him with hostility. But their reaction may tell a different story.