Saquon Barkley focused on Giants, not offseason trade rumors
Saquon Barkley of the Giants leaves the field after the game against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: Getty Images/Mark Brown
Saquon Barkley had just gotten home after a workout when he noticed the slew of text messages.
“My phone was blowing up, [and] I was like, ‘What the heck?’” Barkley recalled of the afternoon of March 2. “At first, I thought I got traded.”
Not quite. But it was something along those lines.
New Giants GM Joe Schoen had told reporters at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that he was “open for business” when asked about the potential for trades – including Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in 2018. The fact that Schoen didn’t shut down the possibility of trading the Giants’ star tailback was enough to send the rumor mill into high gear, and enough to tell Barkley to be on the alert.
A subsequent phone call from Schoen and coach Brian Daboll assured Barkley that no deal was imminent, and the Giants’ newly named braintrust told him he wasn’t being shopped. Still …
But Barkley has been around the New York market long enough to know not to believe everything you hear.
“I felt like that was more just word-of-mouth, the media kind of creating a story,” Barkley said. He even suggested to Schoen that the GM needs to watch what he says.
“What I told him was, ‘Welcome to New York,’” Barkley said. “You’ve got to be careful with the things you say, because they can spin it one way and turn it into another story.”
Important reminder: Schoen did say the Giants would consider trade offers, and he did say that after being asked specifically about Barkley. But that was then and this is now, and all seems right in the world for Barkley and the Giants. He was with the team on Wednesday for their second day of a voluntary minicamp, and he looked spry during drills after coming into an offseason with no major injury rehab issues for the first time in two years. His knee is still strong from 2020 ACL surgery, and his ankle is fully healed after missing four games last season.
And even though Barkley is in the final year of his rookie deal and has been the subject of trade speculation, he’s not thinking about anything other than preparing for the 2022 season. As a Giant. Now and perhaps into the future.
So no, he’s not thinking about the idea that this is his final year in New York, even though the Giants are clearly in a rebuilding phase and signing a running back to a monster second contract might not be in the team’s best interests.
"I feel like if I put myself in that place, I just feel like for my mental, for everything, just energy-wise it’s not good for me ... This is something I've been wanting to do since I was a little kid. I'm living my dream. I’m going to capitalize on it.”
Barkley grew up in the Bronx – albeit as a Jets fan – but yearned to play in the stadium he drove by with his father all those years ago.
“I used to drive to New York and pass the stadium, the old stadium,” he said, referring to Giants Stadium. "I always told my dad I wanted to play in that stadium. I'm playing in MetLife, obviously I’m playing for the Giants. I want to be special here.”
He certainly looked special in Wednesday's practice, even if it was just a day of 7-on-7 in no pads. One particular play brought back memories of Barkley’s spectacular rookie season in 2018, as he sprinted out of the backfield on a wheel route and was wide open down the right sideline before catching a touchdown pass from Daniel Jones.
“It puts a smile on your face,” he said, “Not just because of, ‘Oh, I scored a touchdown,’ it was more the creativity, the mindset that everyone on offense is starting to come alive.”
He just hopes it translates to the field when the regular season begins, and to write a promising new chapter in his career.
“My mindset, just from the last two years, I kind of just want to kill, go crazy,” he said, a metaphorical reference to his intensity. “I’m just tired of whatever [has been] written about me, the [stuff] that’s said about me or this team. I want to go out there and prove to this organization that the player they drafted is still there, I can still do special things with the ball in my hands, and I can help this team.”
It looks as if he’ll at least get that chance … unless there’s a trade offer Schoen simply can’t refuse.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
