Saquon Barkley asked Giants owner for trade before '23 season - ESPN

A new documentary about Saquon Barkley revealed the running back requested a trade from the New York Giants during a phone call with owner John Mara in the summer of 2023.

The Prime Video documentary «Saquon,» which was produced by Martin Scorsese and will be released Thursday before the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles, shows Barkley asking for the trade on July 17, 2023 — the day the deadline passed for him to sign a long-term deal after the Giants had placed the franchise tag on Barkley several months earlier.

The All-Pro running back played for the Giants during the 2023 season. He signed with the Eagles as a free agent the following year and led them to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the Giants' division rival — a decision that left Mara «sick.»

The lengthy negotiations, spanning almost two years, prompted the trade request.

«I want to run something by you real quick,» Barkley said in the phone conversation shown in the documentary. «I've just seen the offer. I just talked it over with my agent. Once again, I appreciate that. But I brought this up to [general manager] Joe [Schoen] a couple times and he kind of declined me. He said ownership won't allow it.

»It's obviously clear I don't think we're going to get to a place where we can agree on a deal. So would you allow for me permission to seek a trade?"

Barkley was drafted No. 2 overall by the Giants in the 2018 NFL draft. He made the Pro Bowl and was Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. The next few years were littered with injuries and minimal team success.

Still, the Giants had no intention of trading their best offensive player, who they had on the franchise tag, especially after they had just won a playoff game and Barkley was