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Saquon Barkley explains epiphany that led him to contract

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Saquon Barkley explains epiphany that led him to new contract

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 7/28/23

There’s no question Saquon Barkley was a bit disappointed with the one-year, $11M contract that carries $900,000 in incentives he signed with the New York Giants right before the July 17 franchise tag deadline.

As outspoken as Barkley had been about his frustration with being tagged, the 26-year-old running back said he had an epiphany right before signing his one-year deal worth up to $11M that got done just under the wire that really put things into perspective for him and got him into training camp without missing any time.

"The reality of it is, one, I kind of just followed my heart,” Barkley told reporters on Thursday. “Honestly, I heard what everyone was saying in the news, on social media, but I kind of just followed my heart. … I felt like, what's the best thing that I can do? Some people may agree or disagree with this. It's a sit-out or a sit-in, and I feel like for this year specifically, the best thing that I can do for myself would be coming back, going out there and playing the game that I love, playing for my teammates, doing something that I wanted to do since I was a little kid.”

Saquon Barkley on why sitting out didn’t make sense for him

I’m not going to read into the fact that he mentioned $15M per year. Not going to do that at all. pic.twitter.com/lA1rX1QF27
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) July 28, 2023

Per Pro Football Talk, Barkley reportedly turned down a Giants offer of $13M per season prior to the franchise tag deadline as he was seeking closer to $16M per year, which would make him the second-highest paid running back in the NFL.

To be precise, Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley had $909,000 worth of incentives added to his deal for three categories:

1350 rushing yards plus a playoff berth
65 receptions
11 touchdowns
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 25, 2023

Barkley acknowledged the closer he got to the deadline without a new deal, the less leverage he had. The running back market is diminishing, and with players at his position fighting to get what they believe to be fair market value, Barkley hinted that he was essentially handicapped during negotiations because the Giants had the $10.1M franchise tag to fall back on if negotiations stalled.

"[A long-term deal] didn't happen because, one, just being flat-out honest, the tag," he said. “…I think if I wasn't able to get tagged, I do think the negotiating process would have went a lot different. I think I would have had a lot more leverage in my way. … I know what's going on with the running back situation and me being tagged, and the value of the running back continuing going down. The only way that I feel like that's going to change is someone's got to make a change, and God-willing, hopefully, I can be one of those people to do it."

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