Latest news with #YorkGiants
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley named to Madden 26 cover
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley named to Madden 26 cover Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley took the league by storm in 2025. He set a new record for his 2,000-plus yards rushing over the regular season and postseason, and it's the way he got those yards that has everyone's head on a swivel. Barkley'sathleticism, agility, and ability to break tackles and keep going are hard to turn away from. That incredible 2024 season not only helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, but it has led EA Sports to name Barkley to the cover of Madden NFL 26. The photo depicts Barkley doing his infamous reserve hurdle over a player trying to tackle him -- the most viral play from the 2024 regular season. Now, we have to talk about the Madden Curse. Historically, there have been several instances where the player depicted on the cover of that year's Madden NFL game is severely injured or has a major decline in performance. Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper, and even Barry Sanders have been affected by this "curse." The curse has been broken over the years but many are still wary. Will Barkley be impacted in 2025?
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-New York Giants captain Jonathan Casillas can see Malik Nabers in leadership role
Ex-New York Giants captain Jonathan Casillas can see Malik Nabers in leadership role New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers may only be 21 years old, but he's showing signs of putting his stamp on the team both on the field and in the locker room. As a rookie, Nabers led the team in receptions and injected life into a team that had been D.O.A. the season before. Off the field, Nabers was vocal regarding his usage, wanting the football more even though he was second in the NFL in targets in 2024. Former Giants linebacker and captain, Jonathan Casillas, recently told Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News that he believes Nabers is on his way to becoming a leader on this transitioning roster. 'He's young, and he might have said some things out of pocket last year as a young, diva-like receiver,' Casillas said on the Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard podcast. 'But Malik Nabers, I think people value the things he says. I think [Brian] Daboll values the things he says. 'I want to highlight him because not just do I think he was a tremendous talent last year, I do think he was trying to step into that leadership role,' Casillas added. 'I think he sensed there was kind of a vacancy there, with the carousel at the quarterback position and QB play that hasn't really been there for a few years. I think he wanted to step up and be that guy.' Last year, Nabers was frustrated with both the team's losing ways and perhaps his game-costing drop in an early-season loss in Washington. He spoke out in the media, which is normally frowned upon when it comes to young players, especially rookies. 'They want me to speak up,' Nabers said of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. 'They feel like my energy helps the offense, in a way, to be explosive. So of course I'm going to speak up if something doesn't go my way. That's just how I am. I won't just sit back and let it go down just because I'm a young player. Clout don't mean nothing.' Nabers will surely be the Giants' go-to receiver again this year, no matter who the team plays at quarterback. Veteran Russell Wilson called Nabers a "freak of an athlete" and sees a solid future between them. "This guy, when he touches the ball, he may score every single time. He's been exciting," Wilson said in April. "Got to talk to him along the way. He's fired up and we've had a lot of good conversations so far." First-round pick Jaxson Dart is likely to get some snaps this year and beyond at quarterback. He is also looking forward to playing with Nabers, as are Giant fans.
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley recalls his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley recalls his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley went on a tear in 2024, leading an extension with the Philadelphia Eagles that makes him the highest-paid NFL running back in history. He set a new single-season record (including the playoffs) for most rushing yards with 2,054 on the way to leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. Everything about Barkley seemed superhuman last season, but when he sat down with Sean Evans on the show "Hot Ones," Barkley proved he is, indeed, human. One of the ways they proved he is human is with the increasingly spicy hot wings Barkley ate as Evans asked him questions. Two kinds of wings in particular had Barkley needing reprieve: "Da Bomb" wings, Scoville level of 136,000, and "The Last Dab Xperience" wings that have a Scoville level of 2,693,000. The second thing they found that can stop Barkley is one he revealed during the interview. He recalled his "Welcome to the NFL" moment in 2018, when he engaged with Hall of Fame linebacker Julius Peppers. Peppers was in his final season with the Carolina Panthers, Year 17, and he had Barkley by the shoulder pads after a play. Barkley had earned the nickname "SaQuads" for his squatting ability, but the rookie could not break free of Peppers' grasp. "That's when I realized that there's a difference between, like, grown men strength and, like, being strong in the weight room," he said, via FOX Sports. "Yeah, that was probably, like, my most humbling moment of my life. Not just on the football field, but as a man, too. Because in that moment, I definitely needed help. I'm strong, but he's like, super strong." Every rookie in the NFL has a moment like this. They've spent their entire lives being told they're the best at what they do, that they're going to go far in football, and that no one can take them down. But when they get to the NFL, they join a league of grown men who were raised the same way. Rookies become the low men on the totem pole, and every single one of them has a moment that humbles them and brings them back to the ground. For Saquon Barkley, that moment came at the hands of Julius Peppers.
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
More than 25 ex-New York Giants will play or coach in UFL during 2025 season
More than 25 ex-New York Giants will play or coach in UFL during 2025 season The 2025 UFL season officially kicked off this past Friday, and former New York Giants running back Jacob Saylors scored the first touchdown. The two-conference, eight-team spring league was formed on December 31, 2023 following the merger of the XFL and USFL. All eight teams were established in one of those two leagues and survived the transition, although some have had their names changed. More than 25 former New York Giants, both players and coaches, will participate in the UFL during the 2025 season. Here's a look at them broken down by team and what year(s) they spent with the Giants. Arlington Renegades S Joe Powell (2016) LB Tuzar Skipper (2019) Birmingham Stallions OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo (2004-2008, 2020) QB Case Cookus (2020) LB Tae Crowder (2020-2022) CB Mario Goodrich (2024) CB Madre Harper (2020) OT Jarron Jones (2017, 2018) DC Defenders CB Deandre Baker (2019) OL D.J. Fluker (2017) RB Deon Jackson (2023) WR Jaydon Mickens (2022-2023) DE Quincy Roche (2021-2022) Houston Roughnecks CB Corn Elder (2019) OL Kristjan Sokoli (2017-2018) Memphis Showboats DB Tenny Adewusi (2019) TE Ryan Izzo (2021) Michigan Panthers Head coach Mike Nolan (1993-1996) CB Gemon Green (2023) DE Breeland Speaks (2021) San Antonio Brahmas CB Henry Black (2022) RB Jashaun Corbin (2022, 2023) OL Derrick Kelly (2021) LS Cameron Lyons (2023) S Jordan Mosley (2022) P Brad Wing (2015-2017) St. Louis Battlehawks
USA Today
05-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley earns record-setting contract from Eagles
Ex-New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley earns record-setting contract from Eagles Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley just keeps on winning. Less than a month removed from winning Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles have rewarded Barkley with a two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million in new money. The extension includes $36 million in guarantees and $15 million more in incentives. The new deal will pay Barkley an average of $20.6 million per season, which is the most for a running back in NFL history. The $36 million in guarantees are also the most ever for a running back on a deal of three years or less. Barkley left the Giants last offseason after two years of failed contract negotiations. To the surprise of everyone across the football world, he signed with Big Blue's top rivals and remained in the NFC East -- a situation that played out on "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants." Asked after Barkley's Super Bowl win if he had any regrets about letting him walk, Giants general manager Joe Schoen offered a soft compliment. "Always going to evaluate all the decisions you make, and we were at a different place in our build," Schoen told reporters at the 2025 NFL Combine. "I'm happy for Saquon. Obviously, he went on to win the Super Bowl. Love Saquon and wish him nothing but the best." Barkley went on to have a record-setting season, while the Giants finished with a 3-14 record.
