In the previous week, Saquon Barkley addressed rumors of a potential trade and reiterated his desire to remain a loyal member of the New York Giants. His consistent stance has been to express his aspiration to be a “Giant for life.”
A day following his statement, Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen took the opportunity to approach Barkley before the commencement of practice. During this conversation, Daboll assured Barkley that a trade was not in the cards, as reported by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.
The New York Giants currently find themselves with a record of 2-5 and might consider making moves ahead of the approaching trade deadline on Tuesday. However, the outlook for Barkley’s trade prospects remains uncertain due to various factors, including his high salary and impending free agency in 2024. The Giants would likely receive limited returns if any team expressed interest.
Reflecting on his conversation with Daboll and Schoen, Barkley revealed, “I don’t think it made me feel any better or any worse. It wasn’t like I was overly concerned about it, to be honest. I never even thought about it until the question was brought up. I didn’t even realize when the trade deadline was.”
Notably, Barkley is currently playing under an adjusted franchise tag that comprises a $2 million signing bonus and $1 million in challenging-to-achieve incentives, in contrast to the standard franchise tag, which stood at $10.1 million. Negotiations between the two sides may be revisited after the season concludes, with the possibility of securing a long-term deal. Barkley remains hopeful that they can come to an agreement to keep him as a part of the team.
Expressing his aspirations, Barkley stated, “I want to create a legacy, and the way you do that is by continuing to stay with a team throughout your whole career. As I observe the NFL and understand the business, it’s less likely for that to happen for players. But if you’re able to accomplish that, it’s special.”
