Giants legend names 'one choice' Saquon Barkley has amid dispute

Retired running back and New York Giants legend Tiki Barber believes Saquon Barkley should report to the team and play the entire 2023 season on the franchise tag. 

"I think he’s contemplating what he should do and what would be most impactful," Barber said about Barkley while hosting a WFAN program on Tuesday, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy. "He has one choice that’s meaningful, and that is to report on time, be the best teammate you can be, crush it, help the Giants go to the postseason, maybe push into the playoffs, and prove it, but not get paid by the Giants. There is nothing you can do other than show up and ball." 

Barber shared his take less than 24 hours after it was learned the Giants the Barkley failed to come to terms on a long-term deal ahead of Monday's deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players. It was later reported New York offered Barkley "slightly north of" $22M guaranteed, but the 26-year-old is now set to earn $10.091M on the tag for 2023. 

Assuming Barkley sits zero games out and plays under franchise tags across the next two seasons, he'd make around $22.2M guaranteed. It's widely thought he'll skip a significant portion of training camp this summer since he's not subject to any fines for doing so due to leaving the tag unsigned. 

"He could sit out training camp, make a statement, but what does that really do? The Giants would be fine because he’s available, and he doesn’t get anything," Barber said about such a protest. 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that Barkley was among running backs who complained via social media on Monday after multiple ball-carriers failed to receive contract extensions prior to the deadline. Current Giants general manager Joe Schoen wasn't part of the regime that spent the No. 2 overall draft pick to land Barkley back in the spring of 2018, and Barber suggested Schoen's actions this offseason indicate the executive will go in a different direction at the devalued position next winter. 

"The Giants aren’t doing right by him now," Barber added about Barkley. "Why would they do right by him a year from now when he’s a year older? The Giants aren’t going to pay him." 

Barkley would forfeit roughly $594,000 for each regular-season game he voluntarily misses while leaving his tag unsigned. Like others, Barber believes that's a price not worth paying even if Barkley likely deserved better from the Giants considering his contributions to a team that won a road playoff game this past January.