Saquon Barkley reveals he was ‘fed up’ of Giants’ negotiation tactics in build-up to viral Hard Knocks moment
While former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, details have emerged recently on how he and the Giants fell off on contract talks. After being fed up with the Giants, Barkley signed with a rival of theirs after the two sides couldn't agree on a contract extension.
This year's "Hard Knocks" series follows the Giants and their offseason moves, including the free agency process. Episode three of the HBO show shows New York Giants general manager Joe Shcoen and how he tried to negotiate a deal with Barkley.
During an episode on Diana Russini's "Scoop City" show, Barkley said he was fed up with contract negotiations with the Giants and their business tactics. He said he was led on, saying a deal was in place for him at the combine, but the Giants never gave him the official offer.
"People didn't like how I was on the phone, how I reacted on the phone," Barkley said. "Yeah, I guess my tone but if anybody who knows me I answer the phone, that's kind of how I talk. I mean at the time I was a little fed-up a to be honest because we talked after season.
"They were like, ‘Do you still want to be a Giant?’ and I was like, ‘I already said where I want to be,’ I said on the phone. They said, ‘We're going to figure it out, we're going to make it work, we'll talk to your agent.’
"Then they said at the combine they talked to my agent and said that ‘We have a deal, we have something ready for you.’ Then come find out they didn't want to send me an offer because they didn’t want to be disrespectful or whatever."
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Saquon Barkley feels like he didn't get a fair negotiation with the Giants
This was the second straight offseason that Saquon Barkley was set to be a free agent. The New York Giants used their franchise tag on Barkley last year before he became a free agent.
This year, the Giants did allow Barkley to hit the open market and find out his worth. After exploring the market, Barkley landed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Giants' rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last offseason, the Giants gave big contract extensions to Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence. Somehow, they couldn't chalk up long-term money for Barkley a year ago.
Barkley feels as if the last two offseasons, he hasn't gotten fair negotiations with the Giants.
“I never felt like we really got a fair negotiation," Barkley said.
Saquon Barkley will now get two games for the next three years to get revenge against his former team. The Eagles will play the Giants on the road in Week 7 and then again at home to end the regular season.