Saquon Barkley, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, expresses dissatisfaction with how the New York Giants approached his contract negotiations, feeling it showed disrespect and a lack of commitment.
Saquon Barkley, the star running back who recently joined the Philadelphia Eagles, has opened up about his frustration with the way the New York Giants handled his contract negotiations before his departure this offseason.
In an interview on The Athletic's "Scoop City" podcast, Barkley revealed that he found it "a little disrespectful" that the Giants asked him to bring back an offer to match after hitting the open market instead of making an offer themselves.
Barkley Voices Frustration with Giants' Contract Handling
"It's kind of like a slap in the face [to say], ‘You go see what you are worth, and then if you're worth that, we'll see if you're worth it, and maybe we'll match it,'" Barkley said.
This approach by the Giants, as documented in a recent episode of "Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants," ultimately led Barkley to believe that the team was not fully invested in keeping him.
"It was over after that phone call, in my opinion," Barkley said of his time in New York. "It was over after that because I never in my heart truly believed they were going to match it, or they only wanted me for a lower price."
Barkley also expressed concern about the state of the running back market, but he was pleasantly surprised by the "true offers" he received from multiple teams during free agency.
"I felt like the Giants thought that I was going to go out there and get $9 [million per year], maybe $8 [million per year] or a stretch at $10 [million per year] and then I'll come back to them, ‘Alright, we got you if you want to come play at $9 [million per year], you come play at $9 [million per year],'" Barkley said.
Despite his initial concerns, Barkley landed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles, which could reach $46.75 million and includes $26 million guaranteed.
Barkley's decision to sign with a division rival was met with criticism in New York, but he admitted that he had an issue with a comment made by Giants general manager Joe Schoen about his contract negotiations after he received the franchise tag in 2023.
"Joe, he made a comment saying that it took 10 years off his life," Barkley said. "Like, if it took 10 years off your life, what do you think it did for me?"
Barkley also expressed regret over shelving a goodbye video he had planned for social media, saying it was an "immature" decision on his part.
Overall, Barkley's interview sheds light on the frustrations he experienced during his contract negotiations with the Giants, which ultimately led to his departure from the team that drafted him.
