Saquon Barkley 'Happy' Giants Discussed New Contract, Wants to Be With NY 'For Life'

The New York Giants returned from their bye week and put up a 24-16 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday, and it appears star running back Saquon Barkley had a little extra motivation entering the game.

Barkley told reporters after the win that he was "happy" the Giants discussed a new contract with him during the bye and that he wants to be a "Giant for life":

“I’m just happy that we were able to at least have a conversation. I know how they feel about me. They spoke very highly of me, but we weren’t able to get anything done during the bye week. And I agree with Joe: just lock it up for the rest of the season and make sure no distractions come out of it.”

Barkley totaled a career-high 35 carries in Sunday's win and rushed for 152 yards and one touchdown. It was his fourth game of the season with 100-plus rushing yards.

The 25-year-old entered Sunday's contest having rushed for 779 yards and five touchdowns on 163 carries in eight games. He now leads the NFL with 931 rushing yards and has also caught 29 passes for 197 yards.

Barkley has reemerged as one of the NFL's premier running backs following three injury-riddled seasons.

After posting two 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career, Barkley appeared in just two games during the 2020 campaign before suffering a torn ACL. He was the limited to 13 games in 2021 because of injuries.

The Penn State product, who was selected second overall in the 2018 NFL draft, is playing the 2022 campaign on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and is set to become a free agent during the offseason.

Despite his injury history, Barkley will look to become one of the NFL's highest-paid running backs if and when he hits the open market.

Christian McCaffrey is currently the league's highest-paid running back, making $16 million per year. Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott each make $15 million annually, Dalvin Cook makes $12.6 million per year, and Derrick Henry makes $12.5 million per year.

With Barkley and the Giants tabling contract discussions until the end of the season, the team can fully focus on finishing with a winning record and making the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 campaign.

Barkley will continue to be a major part of the team's success, and the Giants almost certainly will make him a competitive offer come the end of the season.