The Giants‘ follow-up act to a playoff run last season has not gone well. Albeit against a string of tough opposition, including five playoff teams from a season ago, the 1-5 start to their 2023 campaign has been marked by a fledgling offense and a porous defense.
Despite that, and on the eve of a home game against the Washington Commanders (3-3), New York is reportedly not looking to sell off assets ahead of the NFL trade deadline at this time, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. And that includes running back Saquon Barkley.
“I was told that the New York Giants are not shopping any players as of right now,” Fowler said on SportsCenter recently, via Bleacher Report. “If they did lose to the Commanders this week, fall to 1-6, could that change leading up to that Oct. 31 deadline? Potentially.
“Now, there are a lot of teams that would make a run at Barkley. They consider him one of the very best running backs in the league, but he’s got $10-plus million in prorated salary that they would have to work that out, the Giants may have to cover some of that, but right now, nothing is going on there.”
Barkley, who made his return in Sunday’s loss at Buffalo after missing three games with a high ankle sprain, reiterated his desire not to be traded on Thursday.
“Sitting here, everyone knows how I feel. Everyone knows I don’t want to get traded,” the Pro Bowl back said. ‘I don’t think anybody in their right mind would want to get traded anywhere.”
Barkley rushed for 93 yards on 24 carries against the Bills with a 34-yard burst in the second half. He has just 207 yards on the ground this season on 53 carries (3.9 per attempt) in three games.
He said he’s “blocking out” what he can’t control.
“It’s not like I’m able to make any decisions or have any say in that. The only thing that I have is the way I show up to work and the way I go out there and compete. That’s the things that I can control,” Barkley said.
He added: “I’ve been public and vocal about how I feel about this organization and where I want to be. But like I said, knowing the business and seeing that side of it, there are a lot of things that I can’t control.”
In a piece for ESPN on Friday, Fowler mentioned wide receiver Parris Campbell, a free agent to be this offseason is on a movable $1.4 million salary, as a player who would be easy to move.
The 26-year-old wideout signed a one-year deal this past offseason after he was a second-round pick by Indianapolis in 2019.
Campbell has just 16 receptions on the season for 85 yards. He has only been targeted 23 times through six games and has played just 16 snaps in the last two weeks.
