Saquon Barkley Makes Bombshell Claim About NY Giants Negotiations in New Documentary

Barkley claims a request he made was rejected by team co-owner John Mara.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has made a stunning claim against the New York Giants regarding his failed negotiations with the club. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley always aspired to be a Giant for life. 

But when, in his viewpoint, the team didn’t seem to reciprocate that feeling when it took a hardline stance in his free agent contract negotiations, Barkley understandably grew frustrated and decided to take action by requesting a trade that team co-owner John Mara denied.

Such is the claim made by Barkley in a new documentary about his life and playing career, set to premiere on Thursday, the same day the Giants are scheduled to host Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles for Thursday Night Football.

According to the New York Post, which had the opportunity to pre-screen the documentary, Barkley did not feel appreciated by the Giants during his 2023 contract negotiations with the team.

At one point, Barkley approached Mara with a trade request, but it was rejected.

“I’m not going to do that,” Mara told Barkley, per the Post’s review. “That makes no sense for us. To be honest with you, it’s not going to be in your long-term best interest to do that. There’s no way that I would allow that at this point. You are too valuable to this franchise.” 

Barkley admitted that at one point he contemplated airing his dirty laundry with the Giants in public, but decided against it while hoping that something could be worked out with the team that drafted him. 

But as negotiations continued to break down, Barkley soon realized that his best interest was to move on.

“I would’ve signed for $10 million, $11 million [per year] if they would’ve just operated a whole different way,” Barkley said, per the Post’s review. “If I felt in my heart they tried their best to get it done.” 

The Giants, per reports, did make an effort to get something done with Barkley even long before his rookie deal ran out, including one deal that reached as high as $13 million per year before the franchise tag deadline. 

However, Barkley was reportedly unhappy with the guaranteed money included in the deal and rejected the offers that were put on the table.

The running back went on to sign a modified franchise tag tender when talks for a long-term deal fell apart. 

The following offseason, the Giants informed Barkley that they wouldn’t use the franchise tag on him a second time, but, as was seen in the Hard Knocks series, requested to have a chance to match any offer the running back received on the open market.

As things turned out, Barkley went to an Eagles team with a much better roster and went on to win his first career Super Bowl while also collecting the guaranteed money he believed himself to be worth. 

The Giants, it can be argued, used the savings that otherwise might have gone to Barkley to acquire and extend outside linebacker Brian Burns, who has been one of their best players over the last year-plus. 

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