Giants pick up 5th-year contract option for Saquon Barkley

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The New York Giants picked up the fifth-year option on the rookie contract for running back Saquon Barkley.

The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year is recovering from a torn right ACL in Week 2 of last season.

Barkley, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2018, ran for 1,307 yards that season and caught 91 passes for 721 yards. He had 15 touchdowns combined rushing and receiving.

Barkley had 1,441 yards from scrimmage in 2019, but missed three games because of a high ankle sprain.

He is hopeful to be ready for training camp this summer.

“Very excited,” Barkley told The Associated Press during the winter. “Obviously things were a little shaky in the beginning of the year. … I got hurt, they started getting things clicking and I think you saw when we got the running game going, we were very hard to beat. When you have a great running game, a great defense and a great quarterback and talent all around, which I believe we have, we can take that middle portion toward the end of the season when we played some of our best ball and start off with that, I think we’re going to be in a very good place.”

The Giants finished 6-10 in 2020, but barely missed winning the weak NFC East that Washington took at 7-9.

Barkley now will earn a fully guaranteed $7.217 million in 2022.

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