The Philadelphia Eagles have lost a lot in the opening week of free agency. Milton Williams and Josh Sweat both cashed in with big contracts elsewhere and the Eagles will look much different than they did when they try to defend their Super Bowl title next season.
But while Williams and Sweat will impact the defense, the offense lost a key piece when Mekhi Becton signed with the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend. The move was expected as the Eagles look to retool ahead of next season but still tugged at the heartstrings of Saquon Barkley, who was clearly upset with the move in a post on social media.
Saquon Barkley Heartbroken Over Mekhi Becton’s Departure From Eagles
Barkley’s feelings were made known on an Instagram post by the Chargers hyping up their latest acquisition. The reel shows Becton creating a large hole for Barkley to run through on a 61-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Eagles’ divisional round playoff victory against the Los Angeles Rams and Barkley replied with a sad and fingers crossed emojis.
The fingers crossed emoji may have represented hopes that the report wasn’t true. But Becton’s next post was a photo of himself decked out in Chargers blue signing his two-year, $20 million contract.
Barkley had a right to feel upset with the move. Becton graded 20th overall and 22nd in run-blocking grades according to Pro Football Focus last season and his arrival helped Barkley become the ninth running back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season, collecting 2,005 yards in 16 games.
Tyler Steen is currently projected to fill in for Becton on the offensive line but his 51.0 run blocking grade on 220 snaps is a massive dropoff from Becton’s 70.3 grade last season. But Becton’s departure may have also struck Barkley in the feels as the two shared a hug immediately after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Becton’s departure couldn’t have hurt Barkley bad enough to demand a trade as he signed a two-year, $1.2 million extension at the beginning of the month. But it’s a reminder of how things could be different as Barkley looks for an encore performance in 2025.