Saquon Barkley 'disappointed' with Giants deal, signed after 'epiphany' - ESPN

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Running back Saquon Barkley said he was seriously considering sitting out games into the regular season because of his contract dispute with the New York Giants. Then he had an epiphany.

Barkley signed an adjusted franchise tag and reported with the rest of his teammates Tuesday. It was a one-year deal for $10.1 million with close to an additional $1 million in available incentives, sources told ESPN. It also included a $2 million up-front signing bonus.

It was not the long-term deal he wanted.

The Pro Bowl running back, who finished fourth in rushing with 1,312 yards last season, did not miss a single day of training camp, but he also did not get the Giants to agree to a «no tag» clause for next year. It's conceivable the two sides are in the same position next year. This is among the reasons that Barkley isn't ecstatic about the final result, even though both parties are happy he's with the team in camp.

«I can sit here and lie to you and be like, 'I wasn't disappointed,' or 'I wasn't this and that or a third.' That would just be a flat-out lie,» Barkley said. «But I am mature enough to understand that it's a business. Understand that deals don't get done every year.

»Specific to my position, we didn't get a deal done. Me and my team felt we were in good faith trying to get a deal done. The Giants felt they were in good faith trying to get a deal done. That's life. Sometimes you don't come to an agreement. I had to come to a decision and, like I said, I had an epiphany. I had a mindset of what I was going to do. I changed my mind."

Barkley, 26, had said last month at his AMPT football camp that sitting out the season would be part of the conversation if there was no long-term deal by the July 17