Saquon Barkley has no problem with Ezekiel Elliott saying he believes he is the best running back in the NFL.

That doesn’t mean he agrees with him.

“I’m happy he said that,” Barkley said Thursday. “He believes he’s the best, I believe I’m the best. You ask Todd Gurley, he’s going to believe he’s the best. That’s how it should be.”

The two game-changing studs will get a chance to strut their stuff in front of each other Sunday, when the Giants and Cowboys open the season at AT&T Stadium. They will never be on the field at the same time, but the running backs who only need to go by one name — Saquon and Zeke — will always be going head-to-head in their quest to become the NFL’s best.

If money is the litmus test for that label, then Elliott just got the upper hand. His holdout ended by signing a six-year, $90 million extension Wednesday that certainly caught Barkley’s attention. Not so much for the size of the deal, Barkley insisted, but for the fact it meant he would share the field with Elliott on Sunday.

“More just because [I was] happy for him to get that deal done,” Barkley said. “You don’t want to see another situation like with Le’Veon Bell [holding out for the season]. … Not only do I play the position, I’m a fan of the position. I love competition.”

Elliott is coming off a season in which he led the league in rushing (for the second time in three years), his 1,434 yards in 15 games out-gaining the second-place Barkley’s 1,307 in 16. Barkley, meanwhile, had the league’s most all-purpose yards (2,028), with Elliott (2,001) just behind him.

The competition is only just beginning between the two franchise cornerstones in the NFC East. One day Barkley may be vying to break Elliott’s record as the NFL’s highest-paid running back, but he said that wasn’t on his mind just yet.

“It really doesn’t cross your mind because it’s so far away,” said Barkley, who is two years behind Elliott and playing on the second year of his rookie contract. “I gotta, God willing, get to that point and stay healthy and continue to try to do special things for this team. … It’s a great deal. He’s getting a lot of money. He’s getting paid, which I think he deserves because he’s a tremendous player.”

Elliott (17 carries, 78 yards, TD) won the head-to-head battle last year in Week 2 when the Giants traveled to AT&T Stadium. Barkley was limited to 11 carries for just 28 yards against a suffocating Cowboys defensive front. The Giants fell behind early and Barkley became Eli Manning’s security blanket with checkdowns, piling up a franchise-record 14 catches for 80 yards. Elliott rested when the teams met again in Week 17.

But Barkley said competing against Elliott on Sunday won’t provide any extra motivation.

“I think sitting out four preseason games and just watching my team play was enough motivation for me to get out there and play,” said Barkley, the reigning offensive rookie of the year.

It will, however, mark the first time Barkley takes the field as a Giants captain after being voted one of seven by his teammates Monday. It came as a surprise to the 23-year-old, but for someone who spoke of wanting to take on a leadership as a rookie last season, he does not plan on changing much about how he handles himself.

“To be voted by them means the world to me,” Barkley said. “I’m going to continue to try to have the same mindset and continue to try to do the little things right and encourage and push my teammates and push myself and try to be the best teammate I can be for my team.”