Why Giants' Saquon Barkley has back 'against the wall again'

New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley knows he's still up against it as it pertains to securing a long-term contract in a hard salary-cap world that allows teams to undervalue veteran players at his position. 

"My back’s against the wall again," Barkley admitted while speaking with reporters, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. "I’ve got to go out there and prove it, play my heart out, compete at a high level and do what I do best, not only for myself, but for my teammates." 

The Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year contract in March that allowed them to use the non-exclusive franchise tag to retain Barkley's rights for 2023. Barkley remained away from the club throughout the spring and early summer amid negotiations, and the 26-year-old teased he could sit games out rather than play on the tag worth $10.091M. Instead, he caved ahead of the start of training camp and accepted a one-year contract worth $10.1M with incentives that can increase the deal's worth up to $11M.

Barkley has repeatedly said he wants to be a one-club man and finish his career with the franchise that drafted him second overall in the spring of 2018. However, Giants general manager Joe Schoen could again use the tag on Barkley in March 2024 depending on how the ball-carrier performs, and that reality leaves Barkley in somewhat of a no-win scenario even though he'll be one of the league's highest-paid backs for the upcoming campaign. 

"I think I would be doing a disservice to myself to get too caught up in my future and worrying about what’s going to happen and being a Giant for life," Barkley added. "I’ve got to live in the moment, I’ve got to live in the now and … let the rest take care of itself." 

Barkley and the Giants open the season with a home game versus the division-rival Dallas Cowboys this Sunday night. As of Thursday afternoon, OddsChecker listed Big Blue as the underdog (+154, +3) for that matchup.