New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Saquon Barkley's cryptic message perfectly sums up NFL’s brutal RB outlook

By Jeff Smith | Last updated 7/18/23

If there was ever a way to perfectly explain how undervalued running backs are in the NFL currently, the situation involving three of the most high-upside runners this offseason is probably it. While Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard were all in negotiations for long-term contracts, which would have kept each from playing under the franchise tag (if signed), none of the three received a new deal from their respective teams.

Many players, analysts and fans have been critical of how undervalued running backs are, and the fact that none of these three players could come to terms is eye-opening, to say the least. But just minutes before the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign new deals passed on Monday, Barkley posted a bit of a cryptic tweet, but one that also felt like a huge heavy sigh from not just himself but all running backs currently.

It is what it is
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 17, 2023

The frustration has to be at an all-time high for Barkley in terms of his own contract negotiations, and to add to it, running backs league-wide are almost certainly feeling the same.

Barkley skipped the entire offseason program and hasn't signed his franchise tag to this point. To make matters potentially worse for the New York Giants, Barkley has previously put the option of sitting out the season on the table, as Andrew Crane of the New York Post reported. Whether or not it's something he's realistically considering is unknown, but it'll absolutely be the topic of discussion as training camp draws near.

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