Saquon Barkley hasn’t thought about Sunday’s season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles potentially being his final game as a member of the New York Giants, but he knows there is a chance it very well could be.
“Obviously, that’s a possibility,” Barkley told reporters on Wednesday (via the Giants). “A lot of that’s out of my control. So, for me, I kind of just try to keep the main thing, the main thing. Like I said, the biggest thing is this locker room, and this team is going to be completely different next year. So, cherish the moments and go out there and try to go off on a high note.”
The 26-year-old star running back will be out of a contract when the Giants’ playoff-less season draws to a close in Week 18 at MetLife Stadium, and there has been little indication from general manager Joe Schoen that he wants to keep Barkley for the long haul. The only time those lines of communication were open was at the trade deadline when Barkley was told that he was not getting traded.
Barkley is in search of a long-term deal that he and the Giants were unable to agree on last offseason. After the All-Pro rusher turned down a $14 million per year deal, New York franchise tagged him. He made just north of $10 million this season and, despite an ankle injury keeping him sidelined for three games, still produced behind a weak offensive line.
Over 13 games, Barkley has rushed for 916 yards with an additional 229 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns. His 1,145 total scrimmage yards is over 400 more than the Giants’ next-leading playmaker, wide receiver Darius Slayton.
Yet Schoen has the option to exercise the franchise tag once again upon Barkley, but it’s an obvious path that the two-time Pro Bowler is looking to avoid — and one that would appear to dictate where he might call home next season.
“If they franchise tagged me again, I don’t know,” Barkley said. “I don’t think any player wants to get franchise-tagged. Sometimes…
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