Saquon Barkley ‘excited’ for Cowboys opener, not focused on future as Giant
NEW YORK — Saquon Barkley wasn’t about to make any commitments past the 2023 season on Wednesday when asked if he still wants to be a Giant for life.
His focus is on the Dallas Cowboys and on maximizing his potential and the Giants’ chances of winning this season. Then he’ll let the rest fall into place.
“My focus is really on just this season, taking it one day at a time,” Barkley said in his first team interview with the New York media since July 27. “Everyone knows how I feel. I was public about it before. But I think I’d be doing a disservice to myself to get too caught up in my future and worry about what’s going to happen and being a Giant for life.
“I’ve got to live in the moment,” Barkley, 26, continued. “I’ve got to live in the now. And like I’ve said for five years, a saying I stole from [Penn State coach] James Franklin, ‘take it one day at a time, live in the moment and let the rest take care of itself.’ ”
The way Barkley sees it, he entered last season with a chip on his shoulder determined to prove himself, and he’s simply ready to run it back.
“Similar to what it was last year,” Barkley said of his mindset. “Obviously my contract stuff and everything was public and talked about. I turn on the TV and see myself being talked about. But for me all that’s in the past. Once I made that mindset to come here, [I] gotta be mature about it, no hard feelings about it.
“So now my back is against the wall again,” Barkley added. “I gotta go out there and prove it. I’m gonna go out there and play my heart out, compete at a high level and do what I do best, not only for myself but my teammates.”
Back in July, Barkley sounded prepared to possibly hold out for his desired contract after he skipped the team’s entire spring program and negotiations went public and got ugly. But then he abruptly signed the franchise tag, reported to camp and put his head down, limiting media exposure and sitting out all three preseason games.
By signing, Barkley got $2 million of his one-year, $10.091 million guaranteed deal in signing bonus money. And he can earn an additional $909,000 in incentives contingent upon the Giants making the playoffs: $303,000 each for 1,350 yards, 11 total touchdowns and 65 catches.
The difficult result of those negotiations, however — with the Giants also retaining the ability to tag Barkley a second straight spring if they wish — make it difficult for Barkley to even project what a strong 2023 season would do for his finances.
His 1,312 rushing yards and 10 TDs last season still have him playing on only a one-year contract this fall.
All he can do is try to stay healthy and perform at a high level. He said he actually lost even more weight than he did last year, and he’s now at about 226 or 227 pounds compared to the 232 he played at last season.
“It’s not more of that, the financial part of it,” Barkley said of his motivation. “Obviously that’s part of the business: you go out there, you perform at a high level and [there are] contracts, talks, whether it’s for the Giants or other teams.
“But for me,” Barkley continued, “I kinda see last year as like a rookie year, I guess. Not my rookie year obviously. It was year five. But being back on the scene, and showing what I’m capable of doing, and now how can I take it to another level — whether that’s in between the tackles, outside the tackles, catching the ball, running routes, showing why I was drafted No. 2.”
Barkley said he felt like he reminded people why he was drafted No. 2 overall last season, “but now I want to be able to take it to a whole ’nother level. It’ll be special. Hopefully I can get us off to a great start and go on a high note in Week 1.”
As for how Barkley feels on the field, he said that being in Brian Daboll’s offense for a second year has helped him with “understanding the offense a little more, knowing the scheme, knowing where to block, be[ing] able to time it better.”
He felt like he didn’t need preseason game action because he prepared enough in practice against the Giants’ defensive line, led by Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams.
“I go against Dexter and Leo every week in camp,” Barkley said. “They’re some of my best friends and extreme talents, but they don’t take it easy on me. So I get a lot of contact — as you guys probably saw — throughout camp.”
One of Barkley’s primary football-related gripes during his offseason was that Daboll didn’t use him enough in the passing game as a receiver last season. The differences between the Giants’ and Barkley’s evaluations of him as a receiver colored the contract negotiations, too.
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was asked if the coaching staff would heed Barkley’s wish.
“We’re always improving any of those little areas,” Kafka said. “Whether it’s a running back wanting to be a little more out in the pass game or a receiver wanting to be more involved in the run game — all the different positions, you want to improve on each player. If they have that and we think it’s a strength that we can build on and use them, then we will. If we don’t, then we won’t.”
Everyone will have to wait until Sunday to find out. It can’t come soon enough for Barkley, though. He’s revved up for the NFC East opener.
“We’re excited,” he said. “Sunday night. Prime time. In Metlife Stadium.”
