19 July 2023 , 20:15
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Saquon Barkley has threatened to sit out for the 2023 NFL season after the New York Giants failed to offer the star running back a long-term deal.
Barkley, selected second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, could not agree to terms on a deal with the Giants and failed to sign his franchise tag tender. Talks between the two parties went right down to the last minute, but Barkley will play the 2023 season without a deal.
Barkley was handed the $10.1 million (£7.8m) franchise tag after the Giants awarded quarterback Daniel Jones with a blockbuster long-term contract. Last month, the 26-year-old suggested he could sit out the upcoming campaign if he could not agree to terms with Big Blue before the deadline, taking to social media to tweet a cryptic message: “It is what it is.”
It’s possible Barkley could still sign a one-year deal, although the option of a multi-year contract is no longer available. There is the chance he receives the franchise tag once again in 2024, but that would result in a 120 percent increase for the Giants and cost the organisation more than $22 million (£17m) for both seasons.
Barkley addressed his contract situation as he appeared on ‘The Money Matters’ podcast. When asked what he could do going into 2023, the former Penn State star said: “My leverage is I could say, 'f*** you' to the Giants, I could say, 'f*** you to my teammates’.
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“And be like, 'You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won't show up. I won't play a down.' And that's a play I could use.
“Anybody [who] knows me, knows that’s not something I want to do. Is it something that’s crossed my mind? I never thought I would ever do that, but now I’m at a point where I’m like, ‘Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.’ Am I prepared to take it to this level? I don’t know.
Barkley gave an impassioned response to his situation on the Money Matters Podcast (YouTube/Money Matters)“That’s something I have to sit down and talk to my family, talk to my team [of advisers] and strategise about this. Can’t just go off of emotions.”
Barkley added: “I can try to get as much money as I can, but what really matters is winning. I know if I’m able to help bring a championship to New York, that’s going to go miles more ahead than this contract.”
Barkley starred for the resurgent Giants in 2022. He is one of the most explosive backs in football who is coming off a bounce-back campaign in which he rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns on a career-high 295 attempts, earning his second Pro Bowl nod - and first since his rookie season.