Former executive addresses possibility of Giants' Saquon Barkley sitting out games

Former NFL executive and current league insider Andrew Brandt echoed Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce regarding whether New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley should sit regular-season games out. 

"If I’m an agent, I can’t advise that," Brandt explained during an appearance on Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score, per Logan Mullen of Audacy. "I just can’t. Because how is the team going to respond? Are they going to give him a huge, new contract? No. They’re not. They’ve already shown that they’re not." 

In an interview recorded before Monday's deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players passed, Barkley indicated he could threaten to keep his tag unsigned and remain away from the Giants through the start of the regular season. However, the 26-year-old added at that time he still wants "to help bring a championship to New York" and is willing "to go on the field and prove (his worth) and play again," if necessary. 

Barkley will earn $10.091M on the tag for 2023 as long as he signs it before Week 1 and doesn't sit contests out. The value of the tag decreases by 1/17th for every game a player misses while leaving the tag unsigned. 

Barkley can't be fined for missing training camp practices without a signed tag and, thus, can stay away from the club through August while his representatives attempt to get him more than $10.091M for 2023 and/or a written guarantee that the Giants won't tag him next March. Brandt essentially scoffed at such a tactic. 

"Well, I think the training camp thing is real," Brandt said. "And I don’t think – in their private moments, I don’t think the Giants...really care. I really don’t. So you’re telling me Saquon Barkley is not going to get hit for a month? OK, sure." 

Most reporters and analysts believe Barkley will report to the Giants in time to play in their regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 10, even though he clearly is disgruntled over how teams view veteran running backs and the position. Brandt suggested nothing Barkley does this summer will change the system as it exists today. 

"So I keep coming back to, we don’t have an answer for this," Brandt remarked. "The hold-in thing, that has shown to have some results. Where you come in and are kind of a pain in the you-know-what. Could that happen?"

For what it's worth, those familiar with Barkley don't see him causing the Giants behind-the-scenes problems whenever he returns to the team facility.