NFL legend Barry Sanders gives Saquon Barkley advice as RB's $46,750,000 free agency deal ruffles feathers
Nobody knows what Saquon Barkley is going through right now better than Barry Sanders. The former NFL running back is one of the best ever and knows the pressure players face in the position.
Saquon Barkley's move has divided opinion like few else in recent history. The New York Giants were unwilling to offer him the terms he wanted going back into last year.
However, this time, when he hit free agency, he was allowed to explore the market. There was reported interest from other teams in the league but he chose to go to the Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional rival of his former team.
Saquon Barkley will say that he's getting a three-year deal worth $46.75 million, and that's all he cares about. And, in a way, Barry Sanders might agree. The former Detroit Lions tweeted:
"Congrats to @saquon- I know you wanted to stay with one team, but life has funny turns. No matter what, the character you have as a young man will carry you thru all you face. Can wait to see you run that rock."
Barry Sanders might know how Saquon Barkley is feeling after his own early retirement
Barry Sanders retired from the NFL a mere 1,457 yards short of the league's record held by Walter Payton at that point. Part of the decision, by his own admission, had to do with how the Detroit Lions were run as an organization and he did not see them competing at the top level.
On financial matters, the franchise filed a grievance against him to the NFL because he had pocketed a signing bonus of $11 million on a six-year contract, only to retire in a couple of years.
He was eventually asked to pay it back in installments after the arbitration was settled in the Lions' favor. No consideration was made of the management decisions they took to drive him to resignation.
At the time, Barry Sanders had said that he would do so if he was released from his contract or traded to another team, but he did not get his wish. It would be years before he patched things up with the management.
He knows that if a team is not willing to pay you, showing blind loyalty in return is not ideal. Therefore, if Saquon Barkley can find better value elsewhere, even if at a divisional rival, it should be viewed just as a transaction.