- - Before joining the Eagles, Saquon Barkley used to hate head coach Nick Sirianni: ‘I couldn’t stand that motherf***er’

Ryan YoungDecember 25, 2025 at 3:52 AM

0

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley used to have very strong feelings about Nick Sirianni.

They weren’t great.

“I couldn’t stand that motherf***er. I could not,” Barkley said on Wednesday.

But, as Barkley is wrapping up his second full season playing for Sirianni, his feelings have changed completely. He gets it now.

“I wasn’t a fan of him. Now being here and seeing how obsessed he is, ‘Hard Knocks’ and behind the scenes that we have, that you guys are able to see with him coaching, it doesn't really do it enough justice," he said, via ABC6's Jason Dumas. “He’s so obsessed with the little things, and there’s a reason why this team has been super successful.

“It’s been pretty cool to be able to go from, going against him and not being a fan of him and seeing what he’s all about. I think he does a really good job. He’s the perfect coach for Philadelphia.”

Saquon Barkley said he used to hate Nick Sirianni — also said he’s the perfect coach for the city of Philadelphia. He had some high praise for Nick. pic.twitter.com/p85BiO950M

— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) December 24, 2025

Sirianni, who led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win since the 2017 campaign last season, is in his fifth year leading the Eagles this fall. He’s won double digit games in all but one of his seasons leading the franchise, and he’s gotten the team to the Super Bowl twice now.

Barkley, who led the league in rushing last season, will enter Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills with 1,072 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns. The Eagles have won back-to-back games entering the contest in Orchard Park, New York, and hold a 10-5 record. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot and their second straight NFC East title, too.

The game means more to the Bills when it comes to the postseason. Buffalo trails the New England Patriots in the AFC East race, and have to win out in order to have a shot at winning the divisional title — which is something they haven’t lost since 2019.

While the Eagles haven’t been as dominant offensively this season as they were last year, Sirianni and Barkley have gotten the franchise in position to defend their Super Bowl title. Clearly, Barkley’s initial read of his head coach was off the mark.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”