Julian Edelman Sends Message To Saquon Barkley After Giants Star Doesn’t Land New Deal

In wake of Monday’s development, it remains to be seen when Saquon Barkley will join the Giants on the football field.

It likely won’t be at the start of training camp, as Barkley is expected to stage a holdout after not receiving a long-term contract from New York ahead of the 2023 season. Monday was the final day for franchise-tagged players to land new deals, and Barkley was one of three premier running backs who did not put pen to paper before the deadline passed.

A seemingly disheartened Barkley posted, “It is what it is,” on Twitter after not working things out with the G-Men. The tweet caught the attention of Julian Edelman, who did his best to motivate the two-time Pro Bowl selection.

“Head up,” Edelman replied to Barkley. “Keep grinding bubs.”

Edelman wasn’t the only well-known member of the NFL community to take to social media after Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard didn’t receive the paydays they desired. A handful of other top running backs expressed discontent about the way players at the position are treated.

Edelman’s former team, the Patriots, will have to deal with Barkley in Week 12 when New England travels to the Meadowlands. That is, unless, Barkley chooses the Le’Veon Bell route and sits out the entire 2023 season.