Earlier this week, the New York Giants and RB Saquon Barkley agreed on a one-year deal.

Some expected the two-time Pro Bowler to skip training camp after he did not sign the franchise tender he received on March 7 and did not reach an agreement with the Giants on a long-term contract by the July 17 deadline, but he’s at camp and on Thursday, Barkley explained why he reported.

“The reality of it is, I mean, one, I kind of just followed my heart,” Barkley said. “Obviously, I heard what everyone was saying in the news and on social media, but I kind of just followed my heart. And then you’ve got to look at it from a business point, from a business view, I felt like, what’s the best thing that I can do? Some people may agree or disagree with this, to sit out or sit in, and I feel like for this year specifically, the best thing that I can do for myself would be coming back, going out there, and play the game that I love, playing for my teammates, doing something that I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid.”

The six-year running back said he was seriously considering sitting out; however, in his mind, he believed that would not have been the right move for many reasons.

“Yeah, I was,” Barkley said. “That’s a play that I had, but I’ll be completely honest, if I sat out this year and, say, the New York Football Giants and I sat out, and we didn’t have a good record, do you think that’s going to make another team in free agency or the Giants want to have me come back the next year after I sat out a whole year? And be like, ‘Oh, we want to give you 15 million dollars a year now?’ I don’t think that’s how it’s going to work. After having conversations and really breaking it down – when you sit there, and you break it down like that, it’s like, the only way that I’m going to make it change or do something that’s going to benefit myself and my family is doing what I do best. And that’s showing up and playing the game I love and do it at a high level.”

Recently, running backs around the league discussed the devaluing of the position in the league. As we know, it’s difficult for running backs to get big contracts. Going forward, Barkley is hoping to change the narrative.

“Obviously, I know what’s going on with the running back situation and me being tagged and the value of the running back continually going down,” he said. “The only way that I feel like that’s going to change is someone has to make it change. God willing; hopefully, I can be one of the people to do it.”

The 26-year-old says he was disappointed that the two sides could not agree on a long-term deal, but he’s put that behind him and is ready to win a championship in New York.

“I could sit here and lie to you and be like, ‘I wasn’t disappointed; I wasn’t this and that and the third.’ I mean, that would just be a flat-out lie,” Barkley said. “But I am mature enough to understand that it’s a business and understand that deals don’t get done every year. Specific to my position, we didn’t get a deal done. Me and my team felt like we were in good faith trying to get a deal done, the Giants feel they were in a good faith trying to get a deal done, and that’s life. Sometimes you don’t come to an agreement. I had to come to a decision. Like I said, I had an epiphany.

“I had a mindset of what I was going to do, but I changed my mind. Wise words of a lot of vets who’ve reached out to me and who have said some stuff on the news and media, ‘When you show up, you can’t have that in your heart.’ It’s not a good thing to have in your heart. So, I put all that aside. My focus is on my teammates, everyone in that building, and the fans, and to go out here and have a hell of a year.”