JERSEY CITY, NJ — Saquon Barkley reiterated Sunday that he wants to be “a giant for life.” The problem is that Barkley isn’t a giant at all right now.
Barkley still hasn’t signed the franchise tag the team put up minutes before the March deadline. This brings another deadline into focus: the sides have until July 17 to agree on a long-term contract. Otherwise, Barkley faces the option of playing with the $10.1 million franchise tag or sitting out the season.
Barkley broke his silence on the contract moratorium on Sunday, making it clear he was “frustrated” by the team’s leaked offers. It was widely reported that Barkley turned down multi-year offers worth between $12.5 million and $13 million a year during and after the season. However, the structure of these contracts was not reported, leading Barkley to believe he was portrayed in an unfavorable light.
“It’s definitely misleading,” Barkley said after hosting a free youth soccer camp in Jersey City. “For reports like this to come out and try to make me look like I’m greedy or whatever, that’s nowhere near the truth.”
Barkley has remained silent while taking a PR smack from fans who were incredulous that he turned down the reported offers.
“There’s a lot of things I could go into, but I feel like in this building we’re saying, ‘Family businesses are family businesses,'” Barkley said. “What frustrates me the most, like I said, ‘family businesses are family businesses.'” Then sources come out and stories get leaked, and they’re not mine.”
Barkley hasn’t explained his issues with the offers, but the obvious conclusion is that he sees the unreported guaranteed money as insufficient.
“I won’t go into too much detail about the deal, but like I said, some of the stories are misleading,” Barkley said. “I’m not trying to redesign the market. I said I want to be a giant for life, so I’ll let you read between the lines for that.”
The problem for Barkley, as he has repeatedly pointed out, is that the Giants now have all the influence. General manager Joe Schoen said in March that he was okay with Barkley playing on the franchise roster, which ranks him seventh among running backs by average annual value.
Schoen also said in March that the team had withdrawn previous offers to Barkley.
“This is for a whole different time,” Barkley said.
Though Barkley said he had no intention of “resetting” the running back market, he would not reveal his asking price. But it’s certainly more than the $10.1 million franchise salary, with strong guarantees.
“Ultimately, it’s about respect,” Barkley said. “It really is.”
The threat to sit out the season is the only leverage Barkley has at this stage of the negotiation. But that would be a drastic move for a 26-year-old investing in his legacy and image.
“That’s the card I could play,” Barkley said. “That comes up for discussion if something isn’t done by July 17th. We have some time in between and when that day comes around I need to sit down with my team and my family and make decisions and see what we’re going to do, what the next step is.”
Barkley is well aware of the dire state of the running back market. Miles Sanders’ four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers was the most lucrative contract signed by a running back this offseason. But Barkley countered that the market was depressed because of the franchise tags that were applied to him, Josh Jacobs of the Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Cowboys.
“It’s a deal,” Barkley said. “That is the sad reality. I never thought it would be this difficult or come this far. But I got tagged. If you get tagged, they all have leverage.”
Additionally, Barkley clearly believes he offers more value than the typical devalued running back.
“I feel like I’m more than that,” Barkley said. “I feel like we’ve finally got to a point where we’re a successful team, we can start winning games and I feel like I’ve been a big part of that.”
Barkley’s popularity within the team remains high. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, tight end Darren Waller, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, linebacker Micah McFadden, cornerback Amani Oruwariye, cornerback Darnay Holmes and safety Dane Belton supported their teammate at AMPT-sponsored camp on Sunday.
“I feel like I’ve helped our team a lot, not just on the field but off the field as a leader,” Barkley said. “I have a lot of respect in this league and I think that’s how I should be seen.”
Barkley couldn’t say if he was optimistic a deal would go through.
“There’s no rush. We still have time. July 17 isn’t tomorrow,” Barkley said. “I have faith in my team and I hope the Giants can do something.”
(Photo: Rich Barnes / USA Today)