Insider suggests Saquon Barkley could leave Giants for interesting reason

Giants running back Saquon Barkley may soon be disappointed with the offers he receives in free agency, but former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason suggested he could nevertheless leave the Giants for an interesting reason. 

"He may love it around here, he may love playing for the Giants," Esiason said about Barkley during the Wednesday edition of the WFAN "Boomer and Gio" program. "But if somebody calls like the [Los Angeles Chargers] or [Kansas City Chiefs] call…it’s like, 'You know what? Enough of the losing, enough of the crap, I’ll go play on a grass field if they have a grass field.' That’s what I’d be looking for."

As shared by Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Esiason raised eyebrows in late November when he said he had been told that "the Jets feel like it’s harder to attract free agents...because of the field and because of" MetLife Stadium. 

"That was from somebody inside the [Jets'] building," Esiason explained at that time. 

While Barkley has a worrisome injury history for a running back who turned 27 years old earlier this month, it's worth noting that the torn ACL he suffered in September 2020 occurred during a game at the Chicago Bears. Nevertheless, numerous injuries are linked with the MetLife Stadium turf each season. 

Also in November 2023, The Athletic revealed that MetLife Stadium was ranked the worst among players polled. 

Audacy's Ryan Chichester mentioned how Esiason said he'd "love to see" Barkley sign with the Dallas Cowboys after the Cowboys claimed the NFC East division title this past season. According to ESPN, Dallas' AT&T Stadium features an artificial Hellas Matrix Turf. 

History shows that Barkley and other veteran running backs hoping to get paid in free agency can only be so picky regarding contract negotiations, as a plethora of younger and cheaper players at the position would likely happily welcome competing in home games on any of the league's playing surfaces. 

If, however, Barkley is among individuals referenced by Esiason who seemingly would rather play anywhere other than MetLife Stadium, the second pick of the 2018 NFL Draft could abandon his "Giant for life" mindset and offer a different club a discount.