Austin Ekeler wants Saquon Barkley to take a stand in contract dispute

As the contract standoff between the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley limps into its final days, current and former NFL stars are beginning to chime in.

Many former Giants have expressed their support of Barkley but now others around the league are beginning to recognize how the situation may impact them.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, who is headed into the final year of his deal, recently threatened a holdout of his own. In the end, he had $1.75 million in incentives added to his contract but recognizes it’s not enough. And now, on behalf of himself and other backs across the NFL, he wants Barkley to take a stand against the Giants.

“The trend right now is not to pay running backs, so everyone is like ‘OK, we don’t have to do it either then,’” Ekeler said on the Rich Eisen Podcast. “Whether it’s right, wrong or indifferent, it is what it is. It’s going to take something, whether some guy stands out again, whether it’s this year, one of these guys holds out and gets a big contract, but we need that needle to move to push us over the edge, because here’s the deal: salary cap goes up every single year. So you see new highs in every single position.”

Ekeler’s stand was minimal and did little to shift the dynamic of the running back market. Now he’s desperate for someone else to do what he couldn’t — or wouldn’t.

But Ekeler isn’t the only one dismayed with the Giants and their approach to Barkley. Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones also recently spoke up, slamming Big Blue for devaluing their top offensive asset.

“I’m on Saquon Barkley’s side 24/7. He’s earned the right to be one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. You got Christian McCaffrey up there at 1$6 million, you got Joe Mixon around $12M, Alvin Kamara $15 million,” Jones said on Speak for Yourself.

“So, it’s really frustrating when you find ways to pay other guys on the team and you’re beating around the bush to pay your superstar players and if we look at it right now, you probably talking about one or $2 million that they off like you can’t take care of your guy for one or $2 million and be able to restructure this thing or do it the way that Barkley is happy to get him in the building.”

The Giants have had all the leverage in the negotiations with Barkley and that’s been dictated by the market around the league. That’s not the fault of general manager Joe Schoen.

Over the past decade, the Giants have found themselves in consistent financial trouble due to paying above-market value for players. It’s been a common criticism but now the winds have shifted and they find themselves in the crosshairs for the exact opposite reason.

Ultimately, all the outrage is premature.

There’s still time for the Giants and Barkley to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, and optimism remains that a deal can be struck. Everyone should just pump the brakes and see how the situation plays out before ranting and raving over something that could become inconsequential over the next 72 hours.