Last year, when the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley to a three-year deal, veteran defensive end Brandon Graham didn’t hold back. He took a playful jab at Giants fans, who insisted they were ‘just fine’ watching Barkley walk away. “We know that people are p—-d about it,” Graham said. “They hope that nothing comes of it. I know that’s how mad some people are about it… It sucked for the Giants fans because that’s like us losing our top guy.”
Fast forward to now, and a whole lot has changed. Barkley just had the best season of his career—over 2,000 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, helping the Eagles seal SB LIX in the name of revenge against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. And oh yeah, he’s the face of Madden 26. Glitter, stats, and stiff-arms everywhere. And Graham? He capped things off with a second Super Bowl ring and rode off into retirement. Storybook ending, right? Well, not so fast—because Graham’s back at it. Not suiting up but throwing shade… the appreciative kind. Along with an Ultimatum.
Graham was one of the attendees at this year’s Fanatics Fest NYC, a three-day sports-and-pop-culture festival. But when he got the chance, he didn’t hold back from thanking the Giants fans for helping him walk away with a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Saquon. “The new thing is, if I had to go with my new thing, I’m thanking Giants fans right now,” the ex-NFLer said. “Thank you, every Giants’ fan out there, thank you, thank you.”
And then came the trolling part. Because of course. “What do they need to be here?” He added. “Thank you for not being smart, because man, your team let us get safer. Thank you again.” After six seasons, the Giants let go of Barkley ahead of the 2024 season, and the rest is history. Barkley’s time with the Eagles was poetic. The folks out there pointed out how Philly’s commitment to a run-first offense elevated his performance.
Brandon Graham thanked Giants fans in attendance at Fanatics Fest for allowing Saquon Barkley to sign with the Eagles:
“Thank you Giants fans, y’all sent me out right!” pic.twitter.com/Z18ZIWiQQw
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) June 22, 2025
Whether through his nearly touching Eric Dickerson‘s record of 2,105, set back in 1984, or that no-look hurdle in week 9, the RB stunned everyone. No doubt, Brandon Graham was more than happy to thank the Giants—and their fans—for handing the Eagles a gift like Barkley. After all, Graham spent his entire season in Philly.
Across his 15-season career, Graham recorded 487 tackles, 76.5 sacks, and 22 forced fumbles, along with a Pro Bowl honor. And a farewell with a Super Bowl ring? Chef’s kiss. But if you’re thinking that Graham only thanked the Giants’ fans, think again. He didn’t even spare the Chiefs‘ Kingdom, giving Pat and the Chiefs an ultimatum for the 2025 season, with a final message to the Giants’ fans.
“Thank you, Chiefs’ fans,” he continued. “Thank you, thank you. Because we’re going to get y’all again this year. Keep sending them over here, I’d have to say something. But my whole thing now is the Giants fans, thank you, thank you, because y’all sent me out right. Appreciate you.” The Chiefs, after an embarrassing loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl, are getting hyped up to kick-start their 2025 campaign, maybe to seek revenge.
After all, Mahomes and his crew will be facing Jalen Hurts and his Super Bowl-winning team in their home opener. How will this Super Bowl rematch turn out? Time will tell. One thing is for sure: Mahomes is taking notes and keeping receipts.
Patrick Mahomes admitted that the Eagles took away their best stuff
If there’s one thing that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is known for, then no doubt, he’s a meticulous film-watcher. His QB coach, Mike Kafka, praised how he “does a phenomenal job in the film room watching, studying tape—very intricate details of defenders and indicators.” So, you could expect that after that 40-22 loss against the Eagles earlier this year, where Mahomes was sacked a record six times, he would be back at it. Well, he did. But not that much.
The 29-year-old QB recently admitted that he hasn’t watched last season’s Super Bowl that much. “I haven’t watched it too many times,” he said last Wednesday, following the Chiefs’ practice at mandatory minicamp. “We did some film study, and you do scheme stuff. But you watch it after the game.” Speaking of which, Mahomes then shed light on the takeaways from those additional viewings of the Super Bowl showdown.
“You take away the positives, but obviously you’ve got to learn from negatives,” Mahomes added. “Obviously, the Philadelphia defense had stuff on us with (defensive coordinator) Coach (Vic) Fangio that they did a great job of taking away our best stuff. And so learn from that, have stuff to counteract that and be ready to go this next season.”
Mahomes, who was sacked six times and had two first-half interceptions, was critical of himself right after the big loss earlier this year. “I take ownership of this loss probably more than any loss of my entire career.” With the 2025 season approaching, most of his offensive weapons are back, and with Travis Kelce grinding up for his 13th season, the QB is now getting ready to kick-start the next season. With high hopes and expectations of better results.
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