Saquon Barkley on trade deadline: Of course I want to stay with Giants

Saquon Barkley made his wishes clear: He wants to remain with the Giants.

The topic came up on Thursday when reporters asked Barkley about the possibility of being moved. The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Barkley knows that he doesn’t always get what he wants from the Giants organization. That he’s playing on a one-year deal is proof of that. But at his locker on Thursday, Barkley made his goals clear.

"Sitting here everyone knows how I feel,” Barkley said. “Everyone knows I don't want to get traded.”

He shook his head.

“I don't think anyone in their right mind would want to get traded anywhere,” the 26-year-old running back said. “It's not an easy thing to do. You have to move. I have a family. I would love to be here. But, like I said, it's not in my control. My focus is to be the leader I can be for this team and to get this [Giants season] on the right track.”

Barkley has said repeatedly over the years — through the different regimes of head coaches and general managers — that he wants to be a Giant for life.

Barkley knows those decisions are out of his control.  

“The only thing that I [control] is the way I show up to work and the way I go out there and compete,” he said. “That’s the things that I can control.”

Barkley is a big part of what the Giants do. And if you want to discard the current season, remember that the Giants haven't won a game since Week 2, the comeback win at Arizona in which Barkley played 66 of 68 snaps before injuring his ankle on his final offensive snap of the game.

Now, Barkley is back.

Coach Brian Daboll understands Barkley’s worth. Barkley may take fewer snaps during the practice week in order to keep him ready for game day.

“We're going to make sure he gets to the games the way we need to make sure he gets to the games,” Daboll said. “He’ll be a limited guy [Thursday on the practice field], but he'll do stuff. I'd say the ankle wasn't any worse off, just natural bumps and bruises from not having played for a while. So, I'd say he's in a good spot.”

Asked what Barkley gave the Giants against the Bills, Daboll cut the question short.

“Big-play runs,” Daboll said of Barkley, who had 93 yards on 24 carries, including a 34-yard run. 

That helps the offense to have more balance.

The Giants converted 10 of 19 third-down opportunities (52.6%) against the Bills. That was their highest number of successes since they had 10 against Philadelphia on Dec. 17, 2017, and their most opportunities since they had 20 at Philadelphia on Dec. 26, 2021.

Almost incredibly, the Giants have not thrown a touchdown pass in four games, their longest streak since they went four games without one from Sept. 20-Oct. 11, 2020. They haven't scored an offensive TD since Week 3 — 205 game minutes ago. 

Barkley’s presence also makes life easier for the quarterback, whether it’s Daniel Jones or Tyrod Taylor.

Whatever the case, Barkley knows the Giants are in no position to overlook any team, and that includes the Commanders.

“They’re a great team,” Barkley said. “Every time we go against them, we know what type of game it’s going to be. It’s a division opponent. Just because we’ve had success against teams in the past doesn't really correlate to this season or this year. It’s a whole new year, whole new season, whole new game, and we’re just excited to get back in our stadium against a division opponent and try to get back on the right track.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

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.