For Saquon Barkley, it feels like every week he’s asked a question about his contract and future with the Giants. It’s something he tries his best not to think about very often or else he would “go insane.”
But on Thursday, he gave some candid answers on the value of running backs such as himself and the business side of football.
“When you’re a premier back in this league, not to talk about myself, they feed you the ball because it gives you an opportunity to win games more times than not,” he said. “And then when it comes to contracts or a certain time, you’re a running back, you have so much miles on you. It’s a crazy thought process.”
With injuries to quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor this season, Barkley has had to carry a lot of the offensive load. This has resulted in him running the ball 139 times for 568 yards to go along with 23 receptions for an additional 105 yards – and that’s with the 26-year-old missing three games himself due to a high ankle sprain.
So, when asked about how he reconciles the amount of touches he gets each game to give the 2-8 Giants the best chance to win in the short-term with what’s best and most lucrative for his long-term future, Barkley gave his honest opinion.
“I try my best not to think about that or I would go insane, so I just try to keep focusing on the love of the game and taking care of my body,” he said. “Whenever the opportunity comes that I have to talk about contracts again -- whether it’s with the Giants or with another team -- hopefully I’m able to pull the film or pull up numbers to be able to get myself a contract that’s best for me and my family.”
It’s noteworthy that Barkley, who in the past has always said he’s wanted to remain with Big Blue, opened the window to potentially signing with another team.
“Loyalty means nothing,” he said. “No matter how loyal, no matter how committed you are, it’s a business at the end of the day. That’s something that I’ve learned, so for me the way I try to handle that is not really focus on that, try my best not to think about it.”
For now, Barkley remains focused on this week’s matchup with the Washington Commanders and helping the Giants get their first win since beating the Commanders in Week 7.
But that doesn’t mean the questions about his future will stop coming.
“I feel like every week I have to answer a question about it. ... that’s the only time it really crosses my mind,” he said.