EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A day after signing an $11 million, one-year contract, Saquon Barkley was on the field as the New York Giants opened training camp. It seemed like any other July practice.
Barkley smiled a lot Wednesday, glad-handed teammates he had not been on the field with in months because of the contract talks, worked hard and even found time to trash talk with safety Xavier McKinney in the 90-minute workout.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft even made a diving catch of Daniel Jones’ pass in the end zone during a 7-on-7 drill that thrilled fans and teammates.
What went unanswered was whether the 26-year-old star running back was upset after nine-plus months of negotiations under the weight of a franchise tag failed to deliver a lucrative long-term contract. In fact, Barkley signed for the $10.1 million value of the franchise tag and $909,000 in incentives. The extra money only comes his way if New York makes the playoffs and he hits his assigned goals.
While he was asked to speak with the media, the Giants said Barkley will talk in a couple of days.
It was left to Jones, a few teammates, general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll to talk about Barkley.
“We’re obviously thrilled to have him back,” said Jones, who benefitted from the quarterback-friendly marketplace and got a four-year, $160 million contract in March. “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.”
Jones doesn’t believe Barkley’s struggle to get a new deal will affect him.
“I think he works his tail off. He prepares hard and that shows up on the field,” Jones said. “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.”
After the NFL deadline for teams to extend franchise players expired on July 17 without a deal for Barkley, Schoen said he called the player’s agents that day and asked them what they needed to do to get a deal done. He said the two sides reconvened on Monday and got it done.
“We’re ecstatic, fired up that Saquon’s going to be here for the start of camp. So, excited about that,” said Schoen, who took over in January 2022, hired Daboll and saw the Giants post a 9-7-1 record and make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Barkley got a full workload in camp and worked with the starters Wednesday.
“He’s here, he’s ready to go. Again, he’s a great teammate, he’s a good football player,” Schoen said. “He was in great shape when he came here. You guys know the person he is. He’s good. He made a decision.”
McKinney laughed about his trash talking with Barkley
“We just get a little competitive,” McKinney said. “He said they won the day. It’s just one day, it’s the first day of training camp, so I wouldn’t get too excited.”
McKinney even had a quip for Barkley’s end-zone catch.
“It was a good catch, but it’s another one of those things, 7-on-7, no pressure,” the safery said. “They’ve got 30 seconds to throw the ball, so I am not too worried about it.”
The Giants opened camp after locking up most of their young corps of players - Jones, defensive trackle Dexter Lawrence and left tackle Andrew Thomas - and got Barkley in on time. Thomas got a $117.5 million deal Wednesday that will keep him with the team for seven years.
“There’s going to be a lot of mistakes that’ll be made,” Daboll said of the upcoming camp. “We’re going to try to put you in difficult situations; move on to the next play as quick as you can. Support your teammates. Go out there and play as hard and smart as you can.”
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