Saquon Barkley Open to Talking New Deal with Giants During Season

Most NFL players in a contract year claim that the last thing on their mind is negotiating for a new contract once the season starts.

But for New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who is in the option year of his rookie deal, he sounds like a man who would be willing to list if the Giants decided to open negotiations at some point this season.

“Right now, probably the way I would handle it is just focus on what I can focus on and let my agent take care of all that,” Barkley said. “My agent Kim (Miale)--I feel like I’ve got one of the best agents, if not the best agent, in the business, so I know if I do what I’ve got to do on the football field and God keeps me healthy, she’s going to take care of the rest.”

The problem is the Giants are so ridiculously cap-strapped this year that even if they were to want to extend the running back's deal before the end of the season, they'd be hard-pressed to do so short of arriving at some creative cap gymnastics. Barkley's $7.217 million base salary this year is fully guaranteed, so there's no way the Giants could theoretically lower that number.

The only feasible way a new contract could come into play is if Barkley would be willing to defer receiving a signing bonus that would plump up his 2022 cap hit due to the proration, something that probably wouldn't be in his best interest.

And from the Giants' perspective, they would probably want to see Barkley get through the entire season unscathed by injury and show consistency in his production.

Barkley has certainly done everything he can to ensure his 2022 season is the best since his 2018 rookie campaign.

"I’m excited to go out there. Not only myself, all of us put a lot of hard work in this offseason, from spring to camp to now. My mindset is to just go out there Week 1 and be Saquon Barkley," Barkley said.

"Whatever the team, and whatever (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Coach Dabs and (Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka) Coach Kaf need me to do, to go out there and execute – whether it’s catching the ball, running, pass pro – whatever they need me to do.

"My biggest thing I want for this week, not only for myself but for the team too, is just continue to fall in love with the process, don’t get too overconcerned with the results. No matter if we win by 40 or we lose by 40, there is going to be some sort of overreaction to this week. Whether I go for 200 yards or, say, I go for 10 yards. There’s going to be overreaction. I’m just going to continue to have that mindset of staying in the moment, taking it day by day and getting better."

Barkley isn't one to set goals for himself, but that doesn't make him any less determined to be the kind of player he knows he's capable of being.

"For me, my focus is whatever I can do to help the team win. That’s what is realistic for me. Go out there and on the plays that need to be made for me, make those plays and wherever it is like I said – blocking, catching, running in," he said.

"Those are the things that I can focus on. Those are the things that are within my control. That’s what’s realistic for me: going out there and controlling what I can control."

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