Almost everyone has an opinion on the Saquon Barkley situation these days. Both current and former players have chimed in on the ‘mistreatment’ of star running backs by NFL teams, claiming they are being minimized both on the field and off.
Barkley nor either of his fellow franchise-tagged running backs this offseason — Dallas’ Tony Pollard and the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs — were signed to long-term deals, which means they’ll likely end up playing the season for the $10.1 million franchise tender salary.
The latest former running back to voice their opinion on the matter is Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson. Yes, that O.J. Simpson.
Very few take Simpson seriously any longer but that hasn’t stopped him from dishing on current events. Simpson believes all three players deserve better.
Running backs deserve better. pic.twitter.com/Gv4xOSkMnR
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) July 17, 2023
“They (the Giants) will not win without Saquon having a good, healthy season,” said Simpson, in a Twitter post from poolside somewhere.
Simpson could be right. But then he veers off saying that Barkley and the others deserve ‘$15-16 million at the minimum’ which leads us to believe he hasn’t been following the running back market and its deflation this offseason.
Simpson also admits that he doesn’t know what the three backs were offered by their teams. Barkley, as we know, was offered upward of $12-14 million last fall by the Giants. His reps rejected the offer and the running back market has cratered since.
