Saquon Barkley said he has understood that the Giants have held the leverage in contract negotiations since the day they placed the franchise tag on him in March.

But he also said he understands that if a long-term deal isn’t reached by July 17, he has options, including sitting out the season.

On Sunday, surrounded by a group of reporters following a youth football camp he coordinated for 150 kids in Jersey City, Barkley didn’t rule out a holdout into the season — if it comes to that.

He said he’ll make that decision if the scenario arises and hasn’t thought about it yet.

“For me, it’s like we got until July 17,” Barkley said. “They can say what they want. We can say what we want. … Just one day at a time. One day at a time. Now, that day comes up and I have to sit down and have that conversation, then I will sit down and have that conversation.

“We’ll see what’s the best plan for me to do.”

If Barkley were to sign his tender and play on the one-year franchise tag, he would make $10.1 million, which is a lower number compared to other positions — especially other skill positions. The Post’s Paul Schwartz reported that Barkley has, at different points during and immediately following the season, turned down offers worth $13 million and $12.5 million annually.

Barkley sounded uncertain, though, when asked about his optimism for a deal getting done by July 17. He paused for about five seconds when asked, before responding: “I don’t know really. I don’t know.”

But Barkley, who rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 and will enter 2023 at 26 years old, also expressed frustration over reports that he said didn’t accurately reflect the contract negotiations and made him appear “greedy.” He’s not trying to reset the running back market, he said, and he reiterated multiple times during the press conference that he wanted to remain with the Giants.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I can go into, but I feel like that we say family business is family business in that facility, in that building, and I’m gonna stick to that,” Barkley said.

“The thing that I’m frustrated most about is, like how I said, family business is family business, and then sources come out and stories get leaked. It didn’t come from me,” Barkley later added.

When asked about the guaranteed money portion of reported contracts, Barkley declined to reveal additional details but said that “some of the stories are misleading.”

“I think they’re open to talking,” Barkley said of the Giants. “I think I’m open to talking. But I think at the end of the day, when you really break it down and look at it as a whole, it’s no rush. There’s no rush. We still have time. … July 17 is not tomorrow. It’s not in a week. We still have time, and that’s how I look at it.”

The impasse between Barkley’s camp and the Giants hasn’t affected relationships with teammates and the front office, though, he said. A group of Giants members, including Wink Martindale, Dexter Lawrence, and recently acquired tight end Darren Waller attended the youth camp Sunday. Head coach Brian Daboll was invited but couldn’t make it due to another commitment. Barkley said he has also spoken with general manager Joe Schoen and owner John Mara.

Barkley has been working out in Arizona and is trying to replicate a different scenario — he’s used to being at the team facility. He’s not coming off any major injuries, either, like the knee and ankle setbacks that have hindered him and limited his production since the Giants drafted him out of Penn State.

But regardless of NFL running back trends — with Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott being cut by the Vikings and Cowboys, respectively, in unusual circumstances, with other top running backs Tony Pollard and Josh Jacobs also receiving the franchise tag — Barkley said he still considers himself in his prime entering the 2023 season.

The question becomes whether he’ll actually play, how much he’ll make and how long any potential holdout would last. The next moves will unfold if a deal still hasn’t been reached by July 17.

“It’s a business,” Barkley said. “That’s the sad reality of it. I never thought it would have to be this difficult, come to this point, but I got tagged. And when you get tagged, they have all the leverage.”