The New York Giants will open training camp tomorrow, but they are expected to be without star running back Saquon Barkley when the players report. 

With no long-term deal being reached today, Saquon Barkley is not expected to report to training camp with the rest of his team. The Giants are not expected to see Barkley until later this summer, if then. Barkley will have decisions to make as to when he is willing to report. https://t.co/NBf7ywtuzU

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2023

And while that is a move that Barkley has warranted in my opinion, there is a precedent in this situation, and it doesn't have a happy ending:

Le’Veon Bell 2.0?

Barkley is on the verge of holding out of the 2023 season, with a late summer return predicted as his earliest reinstatement with the team. But staying away from the Giants even longer isn’t off the table, and was something that Saquon mentioned before last Monday’s extension deadline:

“Anybody who knows me knows that’s not something I want to do,” Barkley said in regard to sitting out the 2023 season via The Money Matters Podcast. “But is it something that crossed my mind, I never thought I would ever do that. But now I’m at a point where it’s like, ‘Jesus, I might have to take it to this level.’ Am I prepared and willing to take it to the level. I don’t know. That’s something I gotta sit down. I gotta sit down and talk to my family. I gotta sit down and talk to my team, gotta really strategize about this. Can’t just go off emotions."

Now, if you wondering how Saquon Barkley could be Le'Veon Bell 2.0, it's not only because they share a position and both wanted to be paid. There is actually a bizarre amount of similarities between the two at the time of their respective situations:

• Both wore #26 with their team 
• Both were tagged after year 5
• Both were tagged coming off Pro Bowl seasons
• Both were tagged at age 26

And now, Barkley may very well be following in the footsteps of Le'Veon Bell, especially if the conjecture surrounding the RB conference call that occurred over the weekend is true.  

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So time will tell just how long Saquon stays away from the Giants facility. At the end of the day, refusing to show face and not sign his tag would leave $10 million guaranteed dollars on the table. 

But Barkley and his counterparts may be taking a stand for something bigger than themselves, aiming to help the running back market for generations to come. 



And maybe that's what Le'Veon Bell was trying to do. But he ended up leaving money on the table and never generated the same amount of popularity or high-level play that fans were accustomed to during his time in Pittsburgh. 



So while I'm on Saquon's side, he had better tread carefully, because the path he is headed down is a dark one. 

Giants add RB James Robinson in midst of Saquon Barkley controversy

The New York Giants have made a decision at running back, sort of. Whatever happens with Barkley, the team just added an important insurance option.

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