Saquon Barkley is preparing to take the field at MetLife Stadium in what could be his final game in a New York Giants uniform this weekend, and the star running back does not know what the future holds.
Barkley, who is slated to be a free agent this March, says he wants to remain in New York but understands the final say does not necessarily rest with him.
“I’ve mentioned before that I wanted to be a Giant for life,” Barkley said from the team’s locker room, via SNY. “That was a goal of mine when I got drafted. I wanted to leave a legacy here, but it’s out of my control. I truly have no say. It’s really up to those guys upstairs. … Me sitting here saying I want to be a Giant for life like I did last year doesn’t help or doesn’t hurt, so I’ll just leave it up to those guys.”
The Giants failed to give Barkley a long-term deal going into 2023, instead re-signing him to a one-year contract. There were rumblings that the team could potentially trade Barkley at the deadline back in late October, but New York opted to hold on to him.
As for whether or not Barkley would embrace a new beginning elsewhere? Given how much Big Blue struggled this season, the 26-year-old says it was something he considered.
“Did a fresh start cross my mind? I guess anybody — when you look at the season, the way it went — that anybody would want a fresh start,” Barkley said. “I’m not saying somewhere else, just a clean slate. That’s how I look at it, to be honest. If I hit the open market, that’s God’s plan for me to get another opportunity and to continue to try to create a legacy for myself in my football career.”
It hasn’t been a particularly great season for Barkley, who has rushed for 916 yards and four touchdowns while averaging a pedestrian four yards per carry. He has also caught 39 passes for 229 yards and four scores, an uncharacteristically low receiving output for the typically sound pass-catcher.
Of course, injuries an insufficient quarterback play has played a role in Barkley’s lack of production. He missed three games earlier this season due to a sprained ankle, and the Giants have shuffled through three quarterbacks.
A checkered injury history may end up costing Saquon Barkley dearly in free agency, as he has played just one full season throughout his NFL career. That was all the way back during his rookie campaign in 2018.
New York will take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday.
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