Sure Jalen Hurts was caught on microphone using a profanity, but it was the message the Eagles quarterback sent that Barkley loved so much.
As Hurts prepared to kneel down and run out the clock during the Eagles' 20-17 Sunday in Kansas City, Chiefs superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones barked at the quarterback about not having thrown for 100 yards.
Hurts' comeback: "We won the (bleeping) game."
He said something else after that, which has been debated, but it was the first part that Barkley loved.
"That was just like, 'What are we talking about here?' " Barkley said. "Like he was saying the same thing to me, too. Like, 'You haven't run for 100 yards against me yet.' I'm like, 'You're down.' That's another conversation. Jalen does have that competitive side to him. That dog in him. I think it shows.
"I think that's a good clip for any young athlete that follows a guy like Jalen or a guy like myself or a guy like A.J. (Brown). Chris I have muchj respect for him. He's a hell of a player -- a Hall of Fame-caliber player. But at the end of the day the only thing that matters is winning the football game, so what are we talking about?"
The other quarterback who has Barkley excited right now is his former Giants teammate Daniel Jones, who is off to a great start in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jones, who was benched and later released by the Giants in the middle of last season, has completed 45 of 63 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns for the 2-0 Colts and has a 111.1 passer rating. He has also run for three touchdowns.
Barkley and Jones were close friends during their five seasons together with the Giants and remain close now.
"I'm excited," Barkley said. "Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles and myself, I want no one else to perform at a high level besides Daniel Jones. We both know it's the beginning of the season and it's only Week 2, so he's got to keep it going. But following him throughout camp and his battle with (Anthony Richardson), I was super excited when he won the starting job.
"And now he has gone out there and played at a high level and had a chance to show people the player that I know and the person that I know. I'm a big believer that ... in the way he carries himself and the way he works and the way that he competes, it's going to show at some point and I'm happy it's starting to show right now."
Barkley compared the way Jones is playing right now to the way he played during a 2023 playoff game in Minnesota when the Giants beat the Vikings.
"Is there a quarterback playing better than him right now?" Barkley asked.