What Giants think will happen when ex-teammates Saquon Barkley, Xavier McKinnet collide

Saquon Barkley bursts through a running lane and sets his sights on a hard-charging Xavier McKinney as the last obstacle to pay dirt.

A scene pulled from Giants training camps gone by is likely to play out at some point Friday night when Barkley and McKinney make their respective Eagles and Packers debuts head-to-head in the first-ever NFL game played in Brazil as part of a four-day Week 1.

“Saquon has that deadly jump cut, but Xavier is one of the best safeties in the NFL,” Giants defensive back Isaiah Simmons said. “Saquon is going to win some, Xavier is going to win some. Who wins more? Whoever had the better offseason preparation, I guess.

“I know Saquon is going to have some s–t to say, for sure, but ‘X’ is feisty, especially on game days. His attitude on the field is, ‘Nobody out here is better than me.’ That’s going to be good.”

Barkley and McKinney spent four years as teammates — separated by just a few stalls in the locker room — and were voted Giants co-captains a combined seven times.

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As part of general manager Joe Schoen’s plan to redistribute spending to higher-priority positions than running back and safety, the Giants let Barkley (three years, $37.75 million) and McKinney (four years, $67 million) sign elsewhere in two of the 20 biggest NFL free-agent contracts handed out this offseason. They publicly advocated for each other during contract talks.

“They were two leaders of this team,” Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger said. “I think it’s going to be fun to watch and see how they fit into another system.”

The Post surveyed the Giants locker room to find out what is going to happen the first time that Barkley and McKinney meet in the open field as opponents.

“Oof. Oh man,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said, picturing the image with a wide smile. “Those are two great players. It depends on the angle. If it’s straight on, Xavier might get him. If ’Zay has to come from an angle, Saquon might give him a little feet.”

Lawrence wasn’t the only one who put stipulations on the mock scenario.

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“If the goal line is in sight, I’m taking Saquon. If it’s first down or turning the ball over, I have to give it to ’Zay,” receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “If it’s open field and ‘X’ just has to get him down, I think he can.”

McKinney should have years of pent-up restraint to unleash given that tackling is off limits in practice and thud wrap-ups often lead to debates over whether a ball-carrier really would’ve been “down” in a game. Time to settle the debate under real rules.

“Saquon is probably going to try to run him over once, and if that doesn’t work out, then he’ll try to juke him,” cornerback Adoree’ Jackson said. “Whoever wins the first one, it’s going to be good to see what the second rep looks like — just knowing those two as competitors. And then each one after that is going to be a battle.”

Barkley’s eyes might pop at the room created by the Eagles’ vaunted offensive line to benefit lesser players: Miles Sanders (1,269 rushing yards in 2022) and D’Andre Swift (1,049 in 2023). No longer is he just relying on one stud, left tackle Andrew Thomas.

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“I think Saquon will try to hit his spin — that’s his favorite move,” Thomas said. “And I think Xavier will probably get a little ankle-biter.”

Bellinger has seen Barkley’s spin move “too many times” to bet against it the first time.

“The second time,” Bellinger said, “Xavier will be thinking it and go low and cut him.”

Jackson was in a similar situation when he returned with the Giants to face his longtime Titans teammate, Derrick Henry. Then again, no one in the NFL enjoys tackling the 247-pound Henry.

“It’s kind of weird, like ‘Oh s–t, you’ve actually got to tackle him,’ ” Jackson said. “I know they are going to talk a lot of smack to each other, which is warranted. Heck, we did that in practice. It’s almost like it’s not going to be anything different. People might think so, but this is what we do.”

Even when the uniforms change colors.

“We’re not looking at it as ‘X’ vs. Saquon,” Robinson said. “We’re happy for them and all blessed to play this game.”

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