Xavier McKinney Advocates For 'Hall of Fame' Running Back Saquon Barkley To Get Paid
One of the bigger names on the open market this offseason is New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. He is entering unrestricted free agency this time around and is looking to receive a deal that he believes is worth his value.
He has served the Giants well over the years, but the running back position is a tricky one. Teams don't want to pay large amounts to players when they can replace them in the draft with cheaper contracts.
Giants safety Xavier McKinney spoke with Pat Leonard from The New York Daily News on the latter's Bleav podcast Talkin' Ball and advocated for Barkley to get paid. He mentioned that Barkley has been an incredible teammate and player, so he wants to see him earn what he is worth.
"Saquon is a phenomenal running back. He's a great dude. He's a dude that deserves to be paid. I've been saying this for a minute. You know, that's somebody that I truly believe is a great running back. And I think he's going to go on to have a Hall of Fame career. But he's done everything, you know, for the team play-wise, leadership-wise."
Barkley has been with the Giants his entire career and played on the franchise tag last season. He put up 962 yards and six touchdowns last year with New York, while also adding in 41 catches for 280 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
McKinney knows what Barkley brings to the table, and he is trying to do whatever he can to help his teammate out.
"I've talked to him on several occasions and I've let him know like, you know, whatever, he needs me to do that. There is anything that I can do to be able to, you know, help him and get him in a situation to where he can get that money to whatever I can do. I don't really know how much of it I can really do."
McKinney's plea will only do so much, but Barkley is still a valuable piece in the NFL. He is only 27 years old and has proven that he can be a game-changer when healthy.
Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.