Giants RB Saquon Barkley is set to leave giants due to the offers he receives in free agency
Even though Giants running back Saquon Barkley might soon be dissatisfied with the offers he receives in free agency, Boomer Esiason, a former quarterback for the Jets, hinted that Barkley would depart the team for an intriguing reason.
Regarding Barkley, Esiason stated, “He may love it around here, he may love playing for the Giants,” on the Wednesday edition of WFAN’s “Boomer and Gio” show. “However, when a team like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Chargers calls, it’s like, ‘You know what? If they have a grass field, I’ll go play on it because I’m tired of losing and all this nonsense. I would be searching for that.”
When Esiason stated in late November that he had been informed that “the Jets feel like it’s harder to attract free agents…because of the field and because of” MetLife Stadium, it raised eyebrows, as reported by Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.
Back then, Esiason clarified, “That was from somebody inside the [Jets’] building.”
Barkley turned 27 this month, and while his injury history is concerning for a running back, it’s important to remember that his September 2020 ruptured ACL happened during a game against the Chicago Bears. Still, each season a number of injuries are associated with the turf at MetLife Stadium.
The Athletic also disclosed in November 2023 that MetLife Stadium was the least preferred option among the players surveyed.
Ryan Chichester of Audacy noted that when the Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East division this past season, Esiason expressed his “love to see” Barkley sign a contract with the team. ESPN reports that Dallas’ AT&T Stadium has synthetic Hellas Matrix turf.
Barkley and other veteran running backs hoping to earn a salary through free agency have historically had limited negotiating leverage because many younger, less expensive players at the position would probably be more than happy to play at home on any of the league’s fields.
But if Barkley is among the players Esiason said who appear to prefer playing somewhere other than MetLife Stadium, the second choice in the 2018 NFL Draft may give up on his “Giant for life” mentality.
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