Rob Ninkovich understands Saquon Barkley’s frustration with the Giants — and thinks the root of that discontent could be a massive contract presented to one of his teammates.
The Giants, and a sizable part of their success in 2022, revolved around Barkley.
But Daniel Jones, who Ninkovich called an “average quarterback,” emerged as the player from the offense — revived under first-year head coach Brian Daboll and first-year offensive coordinator Mike Kafka — who “reaped the benefits,” signing a four-year deal.
Barkley, though, remains unsigned, with the franchise tag tacked to his name, with the possibility of a long-term deal evaporated and with a holdout emerging as the likely scenario.
“For Saquon, it’s gotta be really hard for him to look at the quarterback who’s making 40 million dollars a year, who basically relies on him to run the ball to set up his play-action passes — and he’s mediocre,” Ninkovich, who played 11 seasons in the NFL, said during a segment on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Friday.
“So if I’m Saquon, I’m telling, ‘Hey Daniel, go get some more bubble wrap. Go put double braces on. Brace up and you run the football, and I’ll watch.’”
Barkley, according to Ninkovich, was the “identity” of the Giants last year, the nucleus of the “run-the-football-first football team” that clinched a postseason spot and then knocked out Minnesota in the wild-card round for the franchise’s first playoff victory since 2012.
In his fifth NFL season, recovered from the injuries that limited him earlier in his career, Barkley rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns while also catching another 57 passes for 338 yards.
The Giants constantly shuffled pieces at wide receiver, dealing with a blend of busts (Kenny Golladay), sparks (Isaiah Hodgins) and injuries (including Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard).
Barkley served as the de facto No. 1 receiver at times, in addition to his established role in the backfield, but what followed in the offseason was a contract dilemma instead of a reward for those contributions.
Jones signed his four-year, $160 million deal on March 7 before the franchise tag deadline, which allowed the Giants to pivot last-minute and use the tag on Barkley.
The Giants and Barkley couldn’t negotiate a deal ahead of the July 17 deadline, and the ongoing saga has continued throughout the week with Barkley removing mention of the Giants from his social media accounts — which Ninkovich compared to “a girlfriend when you break up.”
“You take everything out of every single platform that in any way brings you to that person,” Ninkovich said.
That’s how dire the situation between Barkley and the Giants has become.
The Giants’ final three-year contract offer to Barkley was within $1 million and $2 million of what the former No. 2 overall pick reduced his request to, according to The Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.
The two sides still couldn’t agree, and six minutes before the deadline, Barkley tweeted, “It is what it is.”
Barkley could skip training camp and even extend that holdout into the regular season, or he could play 2023 on the $10.1 million franchise tag — and potentially receive it again next offseason.
Ninkovich, whose ESPN contract will reportedly expire this summer amid the network’s layoffs, said that Barkley has only tried to find a contract “that reflects the production that you have put out there on the football field — and the leadership that you bring to the locker room.”
“So when the team comes to you and they’re giving you a contract that you feel doesn’t represent the value that you bring to the organization, that is when your emotions can take over and the frustration can turn into anger,” Ninkovich said.
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