Star running back Saquon Barkley surprised a lot of people when it was announced that he signed a contract with the New York Giants on July 25th. Just hours away from the first team practice, Saquon Barkley ensured that the focus would not be on his contract situation. Instead, it would be on the field, where he and the Giants want it to be.
This was an agreement that certainly came out of nowhere. After the July 17th deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term deal came and went without an agreement, everyone wondered when we would see Saquon Barkley back on the field.
Not reporting for training camp seemed likely, but how long would the holdout last? He said it himself, there was some contemplation of missing regular season games to prove a point. Alas, staying away from the team was not something Saquon Barkley wanted to do.
The franchise tender was worth just under $10.1 million and the deal he agreed to includes incentives that can bump up his earnings to $11 million. On Thursday, Saquon Barkley revealed what led to him signing the one-year deal with the Giants.
“I had an epiphany,” Barkley told reporters on Thursday. “The reality of it is, one, I kind of just followed my heart. Honestly, I heard what everyone was saying in the news, on social media, but I kind of just followed my heart. And then you’ve got to look at it as a business point, from a business view. 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.
“I understand. 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 gonna change is someone’s gotta make a change, and God-willing, hopefully, I can be one of those people to do it.” (H/T NFL.com)
While Saquon Barkley has become one of the main talking points in the running back market crisis, he knew holding out wasn’t in his best interest. The same bumped-up offer very likely would have been on the table later in the offseason, but he felt it was best to get into camp now and get to work.
Saquon Barkley ended up not missing any practice time, a bet many people would have lost. While some may not agree with his decision, it is what he feels is best for himself.
The only way he can prove that he deserves the kind of contract that he is seeking is by going out there and playing at a high level. Saquon Barkley is the most important player on the Giants’ offense. While he could find himself in the same spot next year, another season of staying healthy and producing like a star will only help his case of securing a long-term deal.
