Giants Need To Call The Bluff: Saquon Barkley Is Now Contemplating Sitting Out The Season If He Doesn't Get The Contract He Wants
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And around and around we fucking go. I want to be very clear about my stance here as a Giants fan. 1) Saquon Barkley is a damn good running back who was a key piece to this offense and helping them get to the playoffs last year. 2) Paying a running back this sort of contract is a complete waste of money and handcuffs your team worse than almost anything else. No hard feelings, no ill will, just the smart way to looking at it.
That said, I hate everything Saquon is staying here, especially this part:
[Source] - If they're unable to find a middle ground, the veteran running back said he will at least contemplate sitting out the season.
"That comes up in the conversation if something doesn't get done by July 17," said Barkley, who also specified that is not something he's thought about much yet.
Barkley later added of the entire contract situation: "At the end of the day, it's all about respect. That is really what it is."
Contemplating sitting out the season? That's how you define respect? Give me a fucking break. Listen, Saquon never should have been drafted 2nd overall by a team that should have been in full rebuild mode. You don't do that with a running back. The position is completely devalued in the NFL and rightfully so. Teams are winning with guys signed off the waiver wire, late round picks and by committee. The money is going to more valuable positions, no matter the offense teams are running. What good does sitting out the season do besides cost yourself even more money?
And speaking of respect, don't forget this:
The Giants had an offer out to Barkley earlier in the year that could've been worth close to $14 million per season, sources have told ESPN. Barkley and his team turned it down.
Who knows how true that is, there's always some sort of lie from both sides when something like this leaks. But come on, that's even too much money than I'd want to give a running back. He's played 16 games twice in his career, his rookie year and this past season. He gets banged up. The Giants still have needs they need to address and can't just throw money at a running back. That's the reality of the situation.
And, hey, Saquon is right. It's all a business. He wants to get money that he thinks he deserves. The Giants want to pay him a team-friendly deal so they can keep him around and keep building. Neither side is going to completely understand and see the other side. But it's a business and business currently dictates you don't pay a running back an absurd amount of money.
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Barkley is a large part why the Giants were successful last year. But that doesn't mean you handcuff your team and can't improve the line and wide receiver group as you go forward. At some point Barkley has to make a decision. Accept the offer on the table or sit out. Either way, the Giants can't budge. Don't give in because of this demand.