Giants’ Xavier McKinney fully supports Saquon Barkley amid holdout

The New York Giants will officially report for training camp on Tuesday but running back Saquon Barkley will not be in attendance. The two-time Pro Bowler will remain absent after he and the team failed to reach an agreement on a long-term deal.

The question becomes how Barkley’s absence will affect the team and his teammates.

During a Saturday appearance on The Jim Rome Show, safety Xavier McKinney offered his insight into the matter. He expressed support for Barkley and insisted that his holdout will not have a negative impact on the locker room.

In fact, McKinney said, he fully supports Barkley and believes that his teammates will as well.

“For me, I’ve talked to him, and regardless of any decision that he makes, whether he’s there or whether he’s not here, I respect it 100 percent,” McKinney said. “I’m behind him 100 percent. I wouldn’t have no hard feelings, no nothing towards him whatever decision that he decides. Obviously, we want him to be there but if he can’t, we understand that as well. I think that’s not just for me but that goes for a lot of guys in our locker room.

“I just don’t want that to be the narrative — if he decides not to come, then nobody’s gonna be mad.”

Perhaps no one in the locker room will be mad but there will no doubt be frustration among the front office and coaching staff. About half of all Giants fans have also expressed a displeasure with Barkley’s pending holdout but that ultimately bears no significance on the situation.

How Barkley’s teammates handle the situation is really the only thing that matters — at least through training camp and the preseason. If he starts missing regular season games we’ll see if that sentiment changes, but McKinney doesn’t believe it will.

“We all with him. We all respect him. We all love him,” McKinney said. “And we all know what he brings for our team, and we know what he’ll bring to any team, as well. And we also know how great he is in this league. So that’s how we approach it, and we’ll just keep it at that.”

“Definitely have been in contact with him, just letting him know that I love him that he’s my brother that I know how much he has impact to our team. Just letting him know those things. Letting him know that I’m with him 100 percent. That’s really about it. I’ve been in contact with him. That’s really all I can really speak on.”

McKinney is due for an extension soon and like Barkley, he’ll be seeking a big-money, long-term contract so it behooves him to express support for the running back given that he’ll be in the same position soon.