Saquon Barkley has been quite vocal about being a Giant For Life.
But not at any cost.
Asked by The Post whether he would be upset if GM Joe Schoen slapped the franchise tag on him, Barkley said: “I think it would upset anybody.”
The franchise tag for a running back would be $10.1 million. Following his renaissance season (295-1312-10 TDs rushing, 57-338 receiving), Barkley rejected an annual $12-12.5 million deal offered during the bye week and is believed to be seeking a deal in the $14 million neighborhood, which would place him in the top five at his position.
“I’m not really too concerned about resetting any markets or anything like that,” Barkley said on Sunday.
Barkley vowed to overcome his injury-plagued past with a vengeance.
“A lot of people wrote him off after his injuries,” left tackle Andrew Thomas told The Post. “Said he wouldn’t be the same player. I think he proved everybody wrong.”
“Had to overcome a lot of adversity, his injuries, and maybe outside noise and things like that, just tuning that out and becoming the best player that he could possibly become,” right tackle Evan Neal told The Post, “and I’m proud of him. He worked his ass off.”