Giants' Saquon Barkley mum on new contract as training camp opens
Giants running back Saquon Barkley participates in drills at the team's practice facility on Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: John Minchillo
Saquon Barkley was on the practice field with his teammates Wednesday, as Giants training camp opened in front of fans.
On this day, he did all of his talking with his play.
His tightrope catch of a Daniel Jones touchdown pass stood out. The fans loved it. In fact, the fans seemed to cheer a little louder when Barkley made a play. And why not?
Now in his sixth season, they know him. They may believe they can trust him. And they likely all fall somewhere between liking and loving Barkley. After all, these are Giants fans we’re talking about.
That Barkley didn’t speak would not be remarkable, except that he almost always speaks. He is the most quoted player in the Giants locker room in most weeks, and that doesn’t seem like it would change over the long haul.
But, on this day, Barkley left the microphone for others who, to a man, were asked about him.
Beginning with the quarterback.
“We’re obviously thrilled to have him back,” Jones said. “It was a tough situation for him, and I’m glad that we got it worked out. He’s an incredible leader on this team. He’s an incredible player and means so much to this group. So yeah, it’s huge to get him back.”
Barkley was on the field Wednesday with the Giants because, after months of no progress in negotiations, he and the Giants surprisingly reached an agreement on Tuesday. He is now under contract on a one-year deal worth up to $11 million — slightly more than the franchise tag.
All along through the Barkley negotiations, coach Brian Daboll remained on good terms with the running back. The two golfed together on at least one occasion this spring.
“I’m thankful that he’s here,” Daboll said Wednesday morning. “He’s ready to go. It’s the first day of training camp, that’s where my focus is — going out there and having a good practice at 10 o’clock.”
Asked if he is “a believer in running backs,” Daboll said: “I’m a believer in all players. I expect \[Barkley\] to be himself. I think he works his tail off. He prepares hard and that shows up on the field. You saw it last year in how well he played and how big he was for us throughout the whole season. We can use him in a lot of different ways. He’s a dynamic player, and that’s certainly what we expect.”
Daboll said he did miss seeing Barkley at the facility before the accord was reached.
“Yeah, certainly,” Daboll said. “Like I said, he’s a leader on this team. He’s an influential guy and someone who sets the standard and sets the example of what it’s supposed to look like. It’s awesome to have him back.”
Barkley’s family attended Wednesday practice.
Whether he talks with the media on Thursday, Friday or this week remains to be seen. It would be out of character for him to shun the media.
Generally speaking, players do not comment very much on contract negotiations that do not involve them.
As Andrew Thomas said, “My job is to just play left tackle and do my best to open holes and let \[Barkley\] make plays. I’m glad he’s back and hopefully he helps us out this year. \[I think\] he’s a great player. Obviously, he’s explosive. I hope the best for him in his situation, but all I can do is focus on being the best teammate that I can for him.”
It has been a long stretch for Barkley and the Giants, who first talked about a new contract during last season’s bye week.
“I respect Saquon, I admire him, I’m glad he’s here,” general manager Joe Schoen said Wednesday morning before the players took the field. “Again, we weren’t able to get something done long term, but he’s here and I’m fired up that he’s going to be on the field today.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
