Barkley limps forward with no guarantee of a return
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Saquon Barkley’s right ankle can only take so much. That’s the latest reason why this horrific Giants season might get worse starting with Sunday’s visit to the Washington Commanders.
Barkley didn’t play the final 10 minutes of last week’s 49-17 blowout loss at Dallas. A Cowboys defender landed on his ankle in the third quarter. Then Barkley planted his foot on a screen pass in the fourth quarter, immediately collapsed to the turf and left the game.
He claimed Thursday that the re-injury was “nothing that set [me] back.” But he’s been limited at practice all week, and it’s hard to imagine he will be able to get through Sunday’s game at FedEx Field at anything close to full strength.
The cruel reality, of course, is that the Giants (2-8) have no true plan to move the ball consistently outside of handing the ball to Barkley, the former Whitehall High and Penn State star. But every carry and touch continues to put him in harm’s way physically and financially.
He’ll come off the franchise tag at the end of this season and hear again in March about how he’s a 27-year-old running back with too much tread on his tires to command the contract he’s seeking.
“It’s really crazy when you break it down like that,” Barkley said Thursday. “Just the way the business is when you’re a premier back in this league, not to talk about myself. They feed you the ball because it helps you and gives you an opportunity to win games more times than not. When it comes to contract or a certain time, you’re a running back, you’re having so much miles on you. It’s a crazy thought process.
“I try my best not to think about that, or I would go insane,” the Giants running back added. “I just try to keep my focus on the love of the game and take care of my body. Whenever the opportunity comes that I have to talk about the contracts again, whether it’s with the Giants or with another team, hopefully I’m able to pull up film and pull up numbers to be able to get myself a contract that’s the best for me and my family.”
The Giants will have the option to franchise tag Barkley again, which would prevent him from hitting the open market for a second straight season.
Barkley has said frequently that he wants to be a Giant for life, but he also has made multiple recent references to possible future negotiations with other teams.
Barkley signed the franchise tag tender in July after contentious offseason negotiations with Giants GM Joe Schoen. He got $10.091 million guaranteed, including $2 million as a signing bonus.
But the team retained the ability to tag him again in March 2024, and the Giants added $909,000 in incentives that look laughable now.
All of that money was contingent upon the Giants making the playoffs this season.
The playoffs.
He would have gotten $303,000 if he rushed for 1,350 yards and the Giants made the playoffs; $303,000 if he scored 11 total touchdowns and the team made the playoffs; and $303,000 if he had 65 catches and they reached the postseason.
Barkley will not even hit any of those numbers, let alone reach the playoffs.
Sterling Shepard said recently that Barkley has handled these circumstances “like a true pro.”
“There’s been times where other guys don’t know how he’s handling it that way,” Shepard said.
Barkley has his eyes open to the harsh business of football now, though. He knows pushing through and showing this personal pride isn’t going to bring any reward for his loyalty.
“Loyalty means nothing. Loyalty, that doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “No matter how loyal, no matter how committed you are, it’s a business at the end of the day. That’s something that I’ve learned.
“So, for me, the way I try to handle that is to not really focus on that, try my best not to think about it,” he added. “I feel like every week I have to answer a question about it, … but that’s the only time it really crosses my mind to be completely honest. Because if not, I would go insane. I would lose my mind if I was able to focus on that. So I try to keep the main thing the main thing and continue to enjoy the process and take it one day at a time.”