Saquon Barkley has not signed his franchise tag after he and the Giants couldn’t come to a new contract agreement before Monday’s deadline, and the focus now shifts to whether one of the top running backs in the NFL will sit out Week 1.
Talking on The Money Matters Podcast on Monday, Barkley said that sitting out is an option he has not shot down.
“My leverage is, I could say, ‘F–k you’ to the Giants,” Barkley said. “I could say, ‘F–k you to my teammates, and be like, ‘You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ And that’s a play I could use.”
Admittedly, it is not one he envisioned, as he stressed the importance of winning in New York and wanting to remain a Giant, but as Barkley continues to look to get his worth (he mentioned on the podcast that he was 40 percent of the Giants offense last season), sitting out games could be an avenue he chooses to take.
“Anybody knows me, knows that’s not something I want to do,” Barkley said. “Is it something that’s crossed my mind? I never thought I would ever do that, but now I’m at a point where it’s like, ‘I might have to take it to this level.’ Am I willing and prepared to take it to this level? I don’t know. That’s something I have to sit down and talk to my family, I gotta sit down and talk to my team and strategize about this. Can’t just go off of emotions.”
Barkley will now work to separate from emotion, and try to keep in perspective that the main goal, even above financial security, is winning in New York.
"I can try to get as much money as I can, but what really matters is winning," Barkley said. "I know if I’m able to help bring a championship to New York, that’s going to go miles more ahead than this contract."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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