The running back position has been a hot topic in the NFL as veteran players are not getting long-term second NFL contracts. One of the running backs that was looking for another deal and didn’t get it is Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, and he could sit out the entire 2023 season. While appearing on The Money Matters podcast, Barkey made it clear that sitting out is an option.
“My leverage is I could say, ‘f— you’ to the Giants, I could say, ‘f— you to my teammates,’” Barkley said on Monday, per CBS Sports. “And be like, ‘You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ And that’s a play I could use.”
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Barkley and the Giants had contract talks but couldn’t agree to a deal before the deadline to sign a new contract for players who received the franchise tag. If Barkley does not sit out, he will play on a $10.1 million fully-guaranteed one-year deal. And while Barkley wants to be with the Giants for a long time, he does not want to miss an entire season to get what he wants.
“Anybody [who] knows me, knows that’s not something I want to do,” Barkley said. “Is it something that’s crossed my mind? I never thought I would ever do that, but now I’m at a point where I’m like, ‘Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.’ Am I prepared to take it to this level? I don’t know. That’s something I have to sit down and talk to my family, talk to my team [of advisers] and strategize about this. Can’t just go off of emotions. I can try to get as much money as I can, but what really matters is winning. I know if I’m able to help bring a championship to New York, that’s going to go miles more ahead than this contract.”
Barkley, 26, was selected by the Giants No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2018 after rushing for 1,307 and 11 touchdowns on 261 carries. Barkley was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and last year when he rushed for 1,312 and 10 touchdowns on 295 carries.
