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As the ultimate seconds ticked away on Sunday night, actuality started to set in for New York Giants operating again Saquon Barkley.
The previous first-round decide stood again and watched as his shut buddy, broad receiver Sterling Shepard, stated his goodbyes. It was doubtless his last recreation as a Large and, probably, his final recreation within the NFL.
“He epitomizes what it means to be a Large,” Barkley stated of Shepard. “That’s my brother, man. It’s deeper than soccer with me and him. He’s form of like a giant brother to me. We’ve acquired loads in frequent, our youngsters are finest buddies.”
But it surely wasn’t simply Shepard’s future that crossed Barkley’s thoughts.
Though he’d prefer to brush it off and fake he wasn’t interested by it, Barkley acknowledged that Sunday’s dominant victory over the Eagles might have been his final recreation with the Giants, too. And if it was, it’s been a enjoyable journey.
“Whether it is my final recreation, enjoying right here, whether it is, it was a enjoyable six years,” Barkley stated. “Made lots of nice reminiscences, nevertheless it’s not just like the final time I’m ever enjoying soccer. I can’t management that, so I’m not letting my feelings. If I knew that it was my final recreation, I in all probability would really feel just a little totally different however like I stated, I do not know.”
Barkley is scheduled to change into an unrestricted free agent in March and may very well be a franchise tag choice as soon as once more, however that’s one thing he’d prefer to keep away from. And at 120% of his 2023 wage, it’s in all probability one thing basic supervisor Joe Schoen would additionally prefer to keep away from.
That creates a precarious state of affairs on condition that the Giants refused to bow to Barkley’s contract calls for a 12 months in the past. Now he’s acquired one other 12 months of damage and tear on him, handled an harm, and completed the 12 months with beneath 1,000 yards.
However that’s one thing to fret about down the road, Barkley says. For now, he simply needs to get pleasure from a season-ending win over the Eagles and eventually getting that monkey off his again.
“We didn’t have the season we would like, however we have been in a position to management this final recreation and the way we exit and all of us made up in our thoughts that we wished to exit on high with a win and we have been in a position to get that,” Barkley stated.
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