Giants RB Saquon Barkley says season-long holdout is 'a play I could use'
Now that the deadline has passed for signing a long-term deal, Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley has a simple decision to make: sign a one-year tender agreement with the New York Giants or sit out the 2023 season.
Barkley admitted in an interview last week that he's considered the implications of holding out.
"My leverage is I could say, ‘(Expletive) you’ to the Giants, I could say, ‘(Expletive) you to my teammates,'" Barkley said on an episode of The Money Matters podcast. "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.'"
Designated as the Giants' franchise player earlier this offseason, Barkley would be paid $10.1 million this season if he signs the team's tender agreement before the start of the regular season. But if he does sign the tender, the Giants could still tag him again next year. By holding out this season and becoming a free agent, Barkley could avoid a repeat of the entire process next offseason.
"Anybody (who) knows me, knows that’s not something I want to do. Is it something that’s crossed my mind? I never thought I would ever do that, but now I’m at a point where I’m like, 'Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.' Am I prepared to take it to this level? I don’t know," he said in the interview recorded on July 11.
STAY UP-TO-DATE: Sign up for our NFL newsletter for exclusive content
The two-time Pro Bowler rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards and tied for the team lead with 57 receptions last year as the Giants made the playoffs for the first time in his five NFL seasons.