Together, they will be the NFL’s youngest starting duo at quarterback a𝔉nd꧃ running back.
Their combined age is only two years older than 🌠a certain quarterback in New England and six years older than the franchise icon one is replacing. But the Giants hope 22-year-old Daniel Jones handing off to 22-year-old Saquon Barkley on Sunday at Tampa Bay will be just the 𒐪beginning of their story together in blue.
“I’m excited, but just more excited for him,” Barkley said Thursday after Jones’ second practice running the starting offense. “I’m going to do whatever it takes, and I know we’re all going to do whatever it takes, to try to have his first start go the way we all want it to go. Our mindset this week is winning.”
The future arrives now for the Giants, after coach Pat Shurmur decided to have Jones’ first NFL start come earlier than expected and sit the 38-year-old Eli Manning, who got just two we👍eks to hold off the rookie.
The Giants were already young across the board during the first two games o💫f the season, but now their top two picks from the past two years — Barkley No. 2 in 2018 and Jones No. 6 this year — will be starting together. Only, to Barkley, talk of the future doesn’t mean delaying the positive results.
“I guess you could s🦂ay the future,” Barkley said. “Just more excited for him getting out there and playing in the NFL. We also understand that there is no need to panic, but we understand we’re 0-2 and we have to do things to get things going, get things rolling, and why not start it this week and go down there against Tampa against a great team, a great defense, and great defensive coaches and try to come out there with a win.”
The Rams have Jared♍ Goff and Todd Gurley. The Cowboys have Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The Giantꦡs now have Jones and Barkley, but how they stack up against the league’s established top young duos will go a long way toward determining the direction of the franchise.
It was only last year that Barkley was navigating through life as a rookie in the NFL. He passed with flying colors, on the way to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and now speaks like a sage veteran when asked his advice for J꧑ones.
“Be you,” Barkley said. “You don’t gotta be anybody else besides yourself. You’re here f🍌or a reason. You don’t ✱gotta impress anybody else. The only people you gotta impress are the people in this locker room, the people in this facility. He already did that because one, they’re the team that drafted him and two, he already got much respect from us on this team just the way he carries himself as a person and his work ethic.”
Having Barkley by his side will certainly be a huge help to Jones. Not only does Barkley have the advantage of having been in the huddle with Manning for a year in Shurmur꧑’s system, but he can also change a game any time Jones gets him the ball.
“Just try to be of as much help🌺 from what I’ve learned in my first year and from what I’ve learn🀅ed being back with Eli, to help Daniel too,” Barkley said.
Having stepped onto the field for his NFL starting debut just over a year ago, 🀅Barkley knows what Jones is in for.
“I don’t think it will [hit him] until he actually gets out on the ওfield,” Barkley said. “He’s been doing a great job in practice, but when I mean hit him — like, ‘Wow, I’m in the NFL.’ When you get that first play, set hutt, boom, all that goes away.”