Giants Country

Saquon Barkley Explains Why He's Upset with Giants Contract Talks

Barkley feels disrespected for one single reason.

Patricia Traina

Saquon Barkley Explains Why He's Upset with Giants Contract Talks
Saquon Barkley Explains Why He's Upset with Giants Contract Talks /
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New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is wise enough to understand that when it comes to contracts, business is business and that contracts can take some time to resolve.

But when one's business becomes the business of others, that's where Barkley expects the line to be drawn.

Speaking to reporters following his youth football camp in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Sunday, Barkley opened up regarding his current state of mind as he waits on what he hopes will be a new deal that will keep him as a Giant for life--and what happens if that doesn't come to fruition by the July 17 deadline.

"I never thought it would have to be this difficult, but I got tagged," he told reporters, reiterating his displeasure with the decision by the franchise to tag him.

"There's a lot of stuff that I can go into, but I feel like that, you know, we say, 'Family business is family business' in (the Giants' headquarters), and I'm gonna stick to that. It's a business; they can do what they want to do.

"The thing that I'm frustrated most about is, like how I said, family business is family business, and then stories get leaked, and they didn't come from me," he said, referring to reports claiming he turned down a bye week contract worth $12.5 million per year and then a more recent offer believed to be worth $14 million a year with incentives.

"I felt like they were trying to paint a narrative of me that's not even close to being the truth," Barkley said.

And what is the truth?

"I've come out and said I wanna be a Giant for life. I said that I'm not trying to reset the running back market. So, for those reports that come out and try to make me look greedy, that's not even close to being the truth," he said.

While Barkley's representation and the Giants try to hammer out a deal both sides can live with, the former Penn State running back sounded like he wanted some sort of apology for the reports that leaked out of him rejecting the two offers made by the team.

"At the end of the day, I would like to address that I feel like there have been some things out there that's been misleading," Barkley said when asked what it would take to move things along.

"The stories have been out there. But I've been open. I said I wanna be a Giant for life, that this is where I want to be. And at the end of the day, it's all about respect."

Barkley held his tongue when asked about Giants general manager Joe Schoen's revelation that the team had pulled any contract offers made to the running back off the table once the franchise tag was applied.

“That,” Barkley said, “is for a whole other time.”

If Barkley doesn't get the respect he's seeking by July 17, he'll have some decisions to make regarding his next move. He could, for instance, hold out of training camp with no fear of being fined since he hasn't signed any agreements that would obligate him to the team to participate.

He could also skip a few games of the regular season--or maybe even the season itself--to further prove his point about being upset with how things have played out.

"That's a card I could play. He said that comes up in conversation if something doesn't get done by July 17. "We got a little bit of time in between there. When that date comes up, I'll have to sit down with my team and my family and make decisions."

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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