It should not be lost on Giants fans to acknowledge the truth about Saquon Barkley

He is public enemy No. 26. He has come to bury the Giants, not to praise them.

He now wears 26 for the Eagles, not your Giants. He wanted to wear 26 for you, wanted to retire one day and say goodbye with “Once a Giant, Just a Giant,” just like Eli Manning.

You know the rest.

Cheer for him when you see Saquon Barkley on Sunday at 1 p.m. It doesn't have to be a standing ovation. But cheer for him.

Thank him for the memories.

Because once the game starts, he's public enemy No. 26. Now feel free to boo him whenever he touches the ball.

But you shouldn't be shy about acknowledging what he meant to the franchise and to you for six seasons.

There wasn't a more popular Giant when Odell Beckham Jr. was traded in March 2019. You probably know someone who wears Barkley's 26 jersey. Maybe you even have one yourself. Some of you might even decide to wear it on Sunday.

He was the elegant, handsome face of your franchise. A dream giant. The day he showed up, he was a leader. He returned from that devastating knee injury on September 20, 2020 to help Daniel Jones earn their first playoff win since the Manning Giants won Super Bowl XLVI.

He endured too many losses, but never stopped trying to change everything for the better. He has endured too much turmoil as a head coach. He endured offensive maneuvers that too often made running into daylight a pipe dream, but running in quicksand a cruel reality.

They say no man is an island, but tell him that. After OBJ was exiled to Cleveland, he was the Giants' only playmaker, terrifying defenses and keeping defensive coordinators awake at night. He studied the greats of his position and aspired to one day be mentioned in the same breath.

It was a blessing and a curse for him to be the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. It never stopped being an albatross around his neck because analysts were the first to remind everyone that running backs should never be drafted that high in a quarterback-dominated league. Former GM Dave Gettleman didn't care. The Giants organization didn’t care. They weren't the only ones who thought he was the best player in the draft. Most of the NFL did.

Gettleman didn't care that he gave Sam Darnold the third pick to the Jets. Barkley survived Darnold in New York. But he couldn't influence the victory, even if Gettleman told us he was “touched by the hand of God.”

He couldn't impact the win the way a quarterback like Josh Allen would have had Gettleman drafted instead. Hindsight is 20/20 and so on. If you draft the wrong quarterback, you will set your program back and may not be able to draft another quarterback. This is the Gettleman Doctrine.

So Gettleman kicked the quarterback can down the road, and Barkley was named offensive rookie of the year in Manning's final full season as the starting quarterback before Daniel Jones was the controversial sixth pick of the 2019 draft and designated heir apparent.

You know the rest.

Jones got the bag.

Barkley got it.

His Giants career ended unceremoniously at a time when the devaluation of running backs not named Christian McCaffrey was and is on everyone's lips. It happened to fit Giants GM Joe Schoen's team-building philosophy.

You may have seen it on “Hard Knocks” when John Mara made the case for his star to remain a giant: “I'll have a hard time sleeping when Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I can tell you that.”…He is by far the most popular player we have.” And you wonder how much sleep Mara has gotten since Barkley went to Philadelphia on a three-year, $37.75 million deal and scored three touchdowns in his Eagles debut to win on April 6th September to beat the Packers in Brazil.

Barkley took the money and ran, and so would you.

He's now 27 and doesn't have time to become the “gold jacket guy” Gettleman envisioned. Barkley gets to run behind the best offensive line he's ever run behind, even if he doesn't have to be without tackle Jordan Mailata (hamstring) to clear the way for him when he returns.

He gave you three 1,000-yard seasons, caught 288 passes, scored 48 touchdowns, gave you blood, sweat and tears and broken bones. You called him Saquad, remember?

He is fourth in the league with 482 rushing yards, with a career average of 5.3 yards. The Eagles are 3-2. He will be focused on making sure the Giants are 2-5 when he leaves. Nothing personal. Or maybe anything personal.

Only he knows what will be in his heart at 1 a.m. on Sunday. No matter what he has said and will say, this is not just another game for Saquon Barkley.

If you cannot forgive him and consider him a traitor, then so be it. He did what was best for himself and his family. Once the game starts, you can boo him as many times as you want. That he will understand. Devin Singletary now wears a size 26 for your Giants. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagle, is public enemy #26.

But first, thank him for the memories.