This one is going to hurt in New York, there’s no doubt about it. Saquon Barkley wasn’t just one of the Giants’ best players, he was by far their most popular. And he really did seem to want to be a Giant for life.

It’s never a great sign when a player like that wants to stay but his team refuses to pay him what he’s worth. But the truth about Barkley’s defection from the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday afternoon isn’t that simple. The move made perfect sense for everybody involved.

Barkley got the deal he was seeking. The Eagles got a player who might make them the favorites in the NFC once again. And the Giants now have the salary cap flexibility to build their roster with positions that, for them, are more important.

In other words, paying Barkley makes way more sense for the Eagles than it ever would have for the Giants.

That won’t ease the pain of his jilted fans in New York, but it is the reality of the situation after the 27-year-old Barkley agreed to terms on a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles that included $26 million in guaranteed money, according to an NFL source. It’s the biggest splash Eagles GM Howie Roseman has ever made at the NFL’s most devalued position, and it left the Giants with a huge hole that they will undoubtedly struggle to fill.

Barkley could transform an already-loaded Eagles offense. With the addition of him and former Jets pass-rush specialist Bryce Huff, they might already be the favorites to reach Super Bowl LIX. As long as Barkley stays healthy — always a big “if” with him — he could be as big a weapon in the passing game as he is in the running game.

Playing behind the best offensive line he’s ever had — a polar opposite of the Swiss-cheese wall he ran behind in six seasons with the Giants — he could be a threat to run for 1,500 yards.

That made him worth whatever risk the Eagles might take with his health and the cap space they devoted to him. For the Giants, though, Barkley was a luxury they couldn’t afford. Their roster is full o fholes. They need at least two offensive linemen, a top receiver, a tight end, cornerbacks, maybe a safety and help with their pass rush. Given all that, the importance of the running back position is way down the list.

And while it’s true that Barkley is more of a “weapon” than a running back — much like Christian McCaffrey is in San Francisco — he’s not a weapon the Giants are capable of using the right way. Not right now. For one thing, it’s like multiple Giants coaches have simply forgotten that Barkley had 91 catches for 721 yards as a rookie. He hasn’t come close to that production since (he had just 41 catches for 280 yards last season).

He was also wasted, quite frankly, behind a decrepit offensive line — one that was ranked in the bottom three in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in each of the last four years. According to Next Gen stats, he gained 64 yards over expected on rushes between the tackles last season — fifth-most in the NFL despite missing three games. Imagine what he could do if there ever actually was room to run between the tackles. He often took a pounding in the Giants backfield, long before he hit the line of scrimmage.

And with no viable weapons around him for most of his Giants career, teams could focus on him — stacking the line and devising their defensive scheme around him. It’s honestly a miracle he was ever as successful as he was in New York.

It would have made no sense for the Giants to overpay to bring him back and put him in the same messy situation. A running back won’t help them win if they don’t have a strong offensive line and a dangerous passing game. Barkley’s last six years in New York provided more than enough proof of that.

But he will surely help in Philadelphia. Remember how good Barkley was in 2022, when he ran for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns? That was the year quarterback Daniel Jones proved he was a weapon too, running for 472 yards on his own and doing just enough in the passing game (3,205 passing yards, 15 touchdowns). With the Giants running a run-pass option and play-action game, defenses couldn’t figure out whether to focus on the backfield or defend the pass.

Now imagine what Barkley might be able to do with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, and with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert drawing attention from the back seven of every defense they face. It’ll be like a whole new world will open up for Barkley, as long as he is able to stay on the field.