When the New York Giants and Saquon Barkley failed to reach an agreement on a multi-season extension ahead of Monday’s deadline, it was clear that Barkley was serious about a holdout.
And judging from Barkley’s recent remarks, the Giants could be without their star running back for the foreseeable future.
Barkley didn’t sign his franchise tender, which would have him play on a one-year, $10 million contract this season, and didn’t report to Tuesday’s start of camp for rookies and select veterans. Holdouts happen to almost every team at the start of camp, but Barkley feels that he has undeniable leverage in this contract dispute as a transformative star for a playoff team.
In an appearance on The Money Matters Podcast — which was taped before the contract talks collapsed — Barkley said that he could hold out for the entire season if he needed to. Barkley did add that he would never want it to get to that point, but he’d be willing to do what it takes to show his worth. (Warning: NSFW language)
Update: Saquon Barkley explains his leverage on the #Giants – 'F**k You'
"My leverage is I could say, 'F–k you' to the Giants, I could say, 'F–k you to my teammates,'"
"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… pic.twitter.com/py0VB9fdpO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 19, 2023
Barkley said:
“My leverage is I could say, ‘(Expletive) you’ to the Giants, I could say, ‘(Expletive) you to my teammates. 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.'”
Barkley was one of several star running backs (along with w and Tony Pollard) who failed to reach contract extensions. A long holdout is a risky play given how teams find value at running back without necessarily needing a superstar back there. But these latest Barkley comments didn’t have fans feeling optimistic about a resolution in the near future.