Saquon Barkley will soldier on at scene of career-altering injury

Saquon Barkley will not be paying a visit to the 46-yard line in front of the Bears’ bench at Soldier Field.

Unlike many other players who seek a sense of closure by walking up to the place where they suffered a major injury and spending a few private moments to celebrate their return, Barkley does not feel the need when he faces the Bears on Sunday for the first time since suffering a knee injury that ended his season on Sept. 20, 2020.

"No" was his simple answer when I asked whether he might take some time before the game.

It was a moment that changed everything for Barkley. After two 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career, Barkley hoped this would be an even better season, perhaps with a playoff run by the end. But on the first play of the second quarter of Week 2, Barkley was tackled near the Bears’ sideline by safety Eddie Jackson, and his right knee gave way just before he was pushed out of bounds.

He lay there in agony, the anterior cruciate ligament severed, his hopes dashed.

Nothing has been the same since.

Barkley underwent reconstructive surgery, underwent an intense rehabilitation process to return for the start of this season, but has been beset by a freak ankle injury in Week 5 and simply hasn’t regained the form that made him The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 and set him on a trajectory the Giants had hoped would result in a Hall of Fame career.

Instead, Barkley has become the latest cautionary tale of why NFL teams are more and more reluctant to invest high draft picks and big money in running backs. The position that no longer holds the same importance because of football’s increased reliance on the passing game, Barkley’s injury problems are another reminder why many teams choose to wait until well after the No. 2 overall pick with which Barkley was taken in 2018.

There are so many what-ifs for the 24-year-old running back, even if he chooses to block out that line of thinking as he approaches the end of his fourth – and perhaps his last – season with the Giants. He was asked if he’d ever thought about what might have been if he hadn’t been injured and had been a part of a Giants team that made a late-season push toward a playoff spot, only to miss out at the end.

"I try not to think about it, but it happened," Barkley said, although there may have been some regret last season. "I guess probably more so last year, but this is a whole different season."

Though the Giants have long been out of realistic playoff contention this season, Barkley believes there is meaning in these last two games. And no, he has not given a thought to sitting out against the Bears and the following week against Washington. Barkley did not practice Wednesday but indicated it would not affect his availability for Sunday.

"I’m excited that I’m healthy enough to be able to go out there and be able to play another game," he said. "You never know when these opportunities are going to be taken away from you. That’s my whole mindset, is to cherish these last two games that we have and go out there and try to finish on a high note."

Barkley paid particular attention to coach Joe Judge’s message to the team about the importance of these final two games, irrespective of the fact they are meaningless in terms of the playoffs.

"Coach said in our squad meeting today, ‘You never know when your last opportunity is going to be, so you’ve got to try to take advantage of it,’" Barkley said.

Barkley speaks from experience.

"It’s something I had to deal with last year, missing the whole season, knowing the game can be taken away from you at any moment."

Barkley hopes there are many years ahead of him in the NFL, but last year’s injury taught him there are no assurances. And with a Giants team limping to the finish line at 4-11, facing the almost certainty of a new general manager, and perhaps even a new coach, nothing is guaranteed for him moving forward. Barkley enters the final year of his contract in 2022 and counts more than $7 million against the salary cap, and it’s not a stretch to imagine the team would at least consider trading him if a decent offer came up.

Does he think that these may be his last games in a Giants’ uniform?

"No, I don’t," he said. "I can’t control those things. . . . My thought process is to come in every single day and try to be the best leader I can for the team and try to get better physically, mentally, and all of the above. With these last two games, try to finish on a high note and play for each other."

Words to live by, especially as he returns to the place where it all changed.