Saquon Barkley backs Joe Judge, wants to help Giants 'turn this thing around'

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley missed the majority of the 2020 season because of a torn ACL and was sidelined for multiple games this fall with an ankle injury. The second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft largely has failed to play at an elite level during the current campaign while healthy, and more than a few fans have suggested Big Blue should look to trade him during the offseason before he begins to play on the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract. 

Barkley spoke with The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) for an edition of the "AP Pro Football Podcast" and made it clear he wants to be part of what fixes the 4-9 Giants as a member of their roster. 

"I plan on being a big reason why we turn this thing around," Barkley explained. "That's just my mindset, that's my thought process. When I got drafted here, I said I want to be here for the rest of my life. I was born in New York, I'm from Pennsylvania. I live an hour and some change from my parents' house. This is where I started my career, where I would love to finish my career. I know this thing is going to turn around and I would love to be a part of the reason it does."

A report emerged Monday the Giants likely will keep Joe Judge as head coach through the winter and spring months even though he's gone 10-19 overall during his tenure, and Judge told reporters later in the day he's seen "growth" among players despite the team's lackluster record. 

"I think we've bought in," Barkley said of his coach during his conversation with The AP. "We have the guys that are bought in. We work. We love football. We have guys who are committed to it. But that's everywhere in the NFL. That's why it's so hard to win in the NFL.

"We have just been very unfortunate as a team, as an organization, whether it's injuries or just the way we lost games. But it's all part of the building process and it's going to change at some point. And, when it does, it's going to be a beautiful story."

Thus far this season, Barkley has rushed for 379 yards and two touchdowns on 100 carries, and he's accumulated 33 catches for 224 yards and two additional scores. Logic suggests he'll start next September with the Giants, if only because the club couldn't get much, if anything, for him in a trade.