Saquon Barkley’s drama is over. The running back agreed terms with the New York Giants for a one-year, $11 million contract. Now, he has shared his honest take on why he made that decision.
The last few months have not been the best for Saquon Barkley. The Giants placed the franchise tag on their former 1st-round pick earlier this year, and they were unable to offer him a long-term deal before the deadline.
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However, in a very surprising turn of events, Barkley signed a one-year contract with the NFC East squad. Of course, more money was one of the main reasons why he decided to stay, but not the only one.
Saquon Barkley gets real on his one-year deal with the Giants
It is not common for players to receive a contract offer if they have the franchise tag. However, the Giants decided to do it with Saquon Barkley, trying to convince him to play the 2023 NFL season.
The former Penn State player wanted to stay with New York, but unfortunately his salary demands were too high for the team. Now, the running back has signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million, and he has shared his honest take on the matter.
“I had an epiphany,” Barkley told reporters on Thursday. “The reality of it is, one, I kind of just followed my heart. Honestly, I heard what everyone was saying in the news, on social media, but I kind of just followed my heart. And then you’ve got to look at it as a business point, from a business view. I felt like, what’s the best thing that I can do? Some people may agree or disagree with this. It’s a sit-out or a sit-in, and I feel like for this year specifically, the best thing that I can do for myself would be coming back, going out there and playing the game that I love, playing for my teammates, doing something that I wanted to do since I was a little kid.
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“I understand. I know what’s going on with the running back situation and me being tagged, and the value of the running back continuing going down. The only way that I feel like that’s gonna change is someone’s gotta make a change, and God-willing, hopefully, I can be one of those people to do it.”
