‘I know how they feel about me’

Barkley happy Giants talked contract before game with career-high 35 carries

Saquon Barkley said after a lifetime-high 35 carries Sunday that he’s glad Giants GM Joe Schoen entertained midseason contract talks with him during the bye week, but Barkley agreed it’s best to table that topic until after the season.

“I’m just happy that we were able to at least have a conversation,” Barkley said after the Giants’ 24-16 win over the Texans. “I know how they feel about me. They spoke very highly of me, but we weren’t able to get anything done during the bye week. And I agree with Joe: just lock it up for the rest of the season and make sure no distractions come out of it.”

Barkley said he doesn’t view it as a foregone conclusion that a deal will get done. But he reiterated what he’s said before: “I want my legacy to be in this place, and I want to be Giant for life.”

There was no public knowledge of the Giants’ contract talks with Barkley until ESPN’S Adam Schefter reported early Sunday morning that the sides had spoken but never came close to a deal.

Hours later, Brian Daboll gave Barkley more carries than he’s ever had at any level of football: high school, college or pro. Barkley’s 36 touches, including one catch, were the second most he’s ever had in a game in his life.

He correctly remembered the first: 40 touches for Penn State at Iowa in 2017.

“In college I touched the ball like 40 times against Iowa, I think,” Barkley said, from memory. “I think that’s the most because I think I had 28 carries and 12 catches against Iowa. I was going stupid, by the way.”

Sunday’s 152 rushing yards were the fourth most in Barkley’s NFL career, and he assured his body can take the heavy workload. He said receiving that many touches gets him “more in the game, in a rhythm, [the] flow of the game.”

“I know that’s the conversation of how many carries or how many touches I had,” he said, “but it’s my job to be a pro, go in there, get in the cold tub, get in the hot tub and get ready for next week.”

Barkley still got frustrated with the Giants’ inability to finish on offense. He was animated on the sideline after a 5-yard loss in the fourth quarter and admitted there was “a lot” of talk about how the offense left points on the board.

Still, it was a seventh Giants victory in nine games with Barkley again as a centerpiece. He’s making himself money somewhere, maybe in New York.