A new documentary on Saquon Barkley revealed that the running back requested a trade from the New York Giants during a phone call with owner John Mara in the summer of 2023.
The Prime Video documentary “Saquon,” produced by Martin Scorsese and set to air Thursday before the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles, shows Barkley requesting the trade on July 17, 2023 — the day the deadline for him to sign a long-term deal after the Giants placed the franchise tag on Barkley several months earlier passed.
The All-Pro running back played for the Giants during the 2023 season. He signed with the Eagles as a free agent the following year and led them to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the Giants’ division rival — a move that left Mara “sick.”
The long negotiations, which lasted almost two years, resulted in a commercial request.
“I want you to direct something real quick,” Barkley said during the phone conversation shown in the documentary. “I just saw the offer. I just talked to my agent about it. Again, I appreciate it. But I talked to (general manager) Joe (Schoen) about it a few times and he kind of turned me down. He said ownership wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s obviously clear that I don’t think we’ll get to a point where we can agree on a deal. So, could you grant me permission to seek a trade?”
Barkley was drafted No. 2 overall by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. The following years were riddled with injuries and minimal team success.
Still, the Giants had no intention of trading away their best offensive player that they had on the franchise tag, especially after they had just won a playoff game and Barkley was coming off a Pro Bowl season.
“No, Saquon, I’m not going to do that,” Mara responded to the trade request. “It doesn’t make any sense to us and, to be honest with you, it’s not going to be in your long-term best interest to do that. There’s no way I can allow them to trade you at this point. No. I’m just being honest with you.”
“OK, I appreciate that,” Barkley said.
“You are too valuable to this franchise,” Mara added.
The documentary shows how the negotiations took a toll on Barkley, and he said that sometimes the situation affected his play.
But even during a 2022 season in which he totaled 1,312 yards — the second-highest total of his career — it weighed on Barkley’s mind.
“They really don’t like me, to be quite honest,” Barkley said after 35 carries in a win over the Houston Texans.
He then added, “Every time I talk about this shit my blood boils. That’s the principle. That’s it. It’s just the principle. I would have signed for $10 million, $11 million if they worked a completely different way.”
Barkley played in the 2023 season and had 962 yards in 14 games as the Giants went 6-11. They declined to use the franchise tag for a second straight year during the offseason.
Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in his first season with the Eagles, winning the Super Bowl and being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
The star running back revealed in the documentary that he was offered $11.5 million per season and $23 million guaranteed in a deal from the Giants ahead of the July 2023 deadline. His contract with the Eagles is for $37 million over three seasons, including $26 million guaranteed.
After signing with the Eagles, Barkley received a text message from Mara.
“I’m tired of losing you,” Mara’s message read, according to Barkley. “But I understand and respect your decision. We appreciate everything you have done for this franchise. You are a class act. I wish you and your family nothing but the best.”
The documentary, filmed over five years, began when Barkley tore the ACL in his right knee early in the 2020 season and continues last summer, after the Super Bowl victory. It shows Barkley’s struggles through video diaries he created himself, how he came back to become one of the best players in the league while also becoming a father.
