New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley commended Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor for managing to land a major contract extension earlier this month.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Barkley suggested he was impressed with Taylor's process, saying: "Jonathan Taylor did a really good job. You know, sticking to his word, doing what he wanted to do, and he got a deal done."

When asked what he learned from how Taylor went about getting a new contract, Barkley added: "I think I did it wrong. I learned a lot."

One of the biggest hot-button issues in the NFL this past offseason was teams' unwillingness to shell out big-dollar contracts to running backs.

Barkley, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys were all given the franchise tag rather than long-term deals, leading to a Zoom meeting featuring many of the league's top running backs during which they discussed ideas on how to fix their market.

While Pollard signed his franchise tender, Barkley and Jacobs initially didn't. They both ended up signing in time for the start of the regular season, and Barkley didn't miss any of training camp, as he agreed to a one-year, $10.1 million deal with $909,000 in incentives.

As for Taylor, he requested a trade and was later placed on the physically unable to perform list due to an ankle injury.

Taylor sat out training camp and missed the first four games of the regular season, but upon getting activated from the PUP list, he signed a three-year, $42 million extension.

While Taylor is locked in and has the type of security most running backs don't, Barkley is still playing for a new deal.

By virtue of his 1,650 total yards and 10 touchdowns last season, Barkley was a Pro Bowler, but he hasn't replicated that same level of success this season due largely to injury.

Barkley missed three games with an ankle injury, and in the four games he has played, he has rushed for 284 yards and one touchdown, while averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, and has also caught 16 passes for 87 yards and two scores.

At just 26 years of age, Barkley has a chance to land a sizable, multi-year deal in the offseason if he plays well down the stretch, but his comments suggest he is somewhat regretful that he didn't play hardball with the Giants entering this season.