Tiki Barber Says Saquon Barkley Deserves to Finish Career in New York
Within weeks, the question surrounding where New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley will play in 2024 should be answered.
The two sides are at a familiar place, with Barkley in search of his next long-term contract and the Giants not wanting to overspend on arguably their best offensive skill player when healthy. With New York reportedly planning not to use the franchise tag on Barkley as they did last year, the prospects of a split are real.
But if former Giants running back turned WFAN sports talk show host Tiki Barber had his way, Barkley would, as Barber did, finish his career where he started.
“Saquon Barkley is not fully necessary, but my emotion to Saquon is something that I think a lot of Giant fans feel, and it’s, I love this kid,” Barber said on the Evan and Tiki podcast. “I loved him when he came in.
“He is the perfect example of a star player that you would want on this team. So emotionally, you want to hold on to that guy because he’s an example of guys who are the favorite players on the team, finishing their careers as a Giant or whatever team it is. I feel like he should be that guy.”
Barkley has been the foundation of the Giants' offense since they drafted him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He's rushed for 1,000 in three of his five seasons. But with the running back position having been devalued, not to mention easily replaceable, there is growing sentiment among the fan base that the Giants shouldn't break open the bank to keep Barkley in blue.
Barber’s co-host, Evan Roberts, believes that if the Giants, who last year refused to make Barkley available via trade, simply let the running back walk away without getting anything in return, it would be a mistake.
“That seems like a complete, utter contradiction," Roberts said. "So, in my opinion, the Giants decided on October 30. They didn’t trade Saquon; they wouldn’t even listen to trade offers. So what possibly could have changed?”