Eagles’ Saquon Barkley felt disrespected by Commanders during free agency

It appears that the Washington Commanders were never in on Philadelphia Eagles' running back Saquon Barkley during free agency.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (1) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles have been longtime foes within the NFC East division, but things have started to heat up as of late with the Eagles continuing to dominate coming off a Super Bowl victory, and the recent uprising of the Commanders thanks to a complete overhaul of the front office, staff, and roster.

The Eagles put together a solid offseason in 2024, with their main acquisition being former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley is seen as the league's best back, and he proved that in his first season with Philly.

Barkley and Eagles faced the Commanders three times last season, and it was always a struggle for Washington to try and shut him down.

Dec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) during the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It was always a question of whether there were teams involved with Barkley during his free agency process. However, after a recent question surfaced on whether the Commanders were involved, Barkley gave a straightforward answer.

"Nah, never heard a word from the Commanders or Dallas," said Barkley. "That's why it's BTA when I see them."

Saquon Barkley says that the #Commanders did not reach out to him when he was a free agent

“Nah, never heard a word from Commanders or Dallas. That’s why it’s BTA when I see them”

(via:_jankyrondoclips on TikTok) pic.twitter.com/C35QkO2jrL

— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 28, 2025

The Commanders seemingly never even thought of reaching out to Barkley to gauge his interest, and in turn, Barkley has made sure that they remember.

Barkley picked up his game when playing his rivals. In the first matchup in Philadelphia, Barkley rushed 26 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. A fantastic performance to say the least, only to be followed up by another when he rushed 29 times for 150 yards and two more scores in 16 in Washington.

His regular-season performances were great, but he once again proved why he is the best back in the league in the playoffs, routing the Commanders' rushing defense in the NFC Championship game to the tune of 15 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

It's hard to slow Barkley down, no matter the height of the game, but it goes to show why he carries a chip on his shoulder when playing teams that didn't bother to reach out and who are also in his division.

The Eagles and Commanders will once again be vying for the NFC East crown. The Eagles will be looking for back-to-back Super Bowl wins,a while the Commanders will be looking to reach their first Super Bowl in decades.

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