RB Saquon Barkley threatens to miss the entire season. Saquon Barkley appears to be on the path of not showing up for the new season with the New York Giants, in protest over the lack of a long-term contract after the July 17 deadline.
During the recently recorded podcast "The Money Matters," Barkley discussed his options and is considering the possibility of sitting out the rest of the year.
In the NFL's recent history, the most notable precedent of a running back doing the same was Le’Veon Bell, who decided not to play with the Steelers in 2018 after being designated as a franchise player and not receiving the desired contract. In this way, Barkley could showcase his value.
Related: Barkley rebels against Giants
"My advantage is that I could say 'screw the Giants,' I could say 'screw my teammates,'" Barkley said. "And tell them, 'Do you want me to prove my worth? Do you want me to show how valuable I am to the team? I won't show up. I won't play a minute.' And that's a move that would suit me."
Barkley said he never thought he would do that, "but now I'm at a point where I think, 'Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.'"
He added that he doesn't know if he will go that far at this moment, but it's clear that it will be on his mind as the rest of the team heads to training camp.
Do you think the Giants would suffer without Saquon Barkley this season? Tell us in the comments.
Update: Saquon Barkley explains his leverage on the #Giants - 'F**k You'
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 19, 2023
"My leverage is I could say, 'F--k you' to the Giants, 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… pic.twitter.com/py0VB9fdpO
