Giants GM ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Deals Get Done: Report

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he New York Giants have less than two weeks until they lose sole control of contract negotiations with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. On March 7th, 2023, the NFL’s window for teams to franchise tag players would close.

That means on March 13th, 2023, the start of the league’s legal tampering period, other franchises can start negotiating contracts with the Giants’ star players. Meeting with the media at the NFL Combine, Giants’ General Manager Joe Schoen provided an update on where things stand in negotiations.

According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, “Giants GM Joe Schoen says he has had “productive” conversations with Daniel Jones’ & Saquon Barkley’s agents & is “cautiously optimistic” about getting contracts done with both.”

Leonard also added that Schoen had in-person conversations with Jones’ representatives and has “no doubt” that No. 8 will be the Giants quarterback in 2023. 

Having both the quarterback and running back return to New York helps grow what head coach Brian Daboll is trying to build on offense. Continuity is everything.

According to Paul Schwartz in a recent post with the New York Post, Schoen talked about using the franchise tag, but it sounds like he’s doing everything possible to avoid it for the franchise’s and Jones’s benefit.

“If you have to franchise Daniel, I don’t think that’s best for the organization and I don’t think it’s best for Daniel, especially as we try to build the team around him and questions about receiver, other positions on the other side of the ball where we may need depth.”

Schoen understands the Giants would be allocating around $32.42 million at the projected number for Jones to play under the franchise tag. That would limit money going to other free agents and positions of need.

New York will release their $72 million receiver Kenny Golladay on the first day of the new league year, so they will need to add more bodies to the position. Darius Slayton is a free agent who could bring back or sign another available receiver.

Schoen will aim to strike a deal before the clock strikes midnight because the ripple effect of tagging Jones will set the team back in how they want to build it for 2023.

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If Jones Gets Tagged, What About Barkley?

The pie gets smaller if the Giants have to use the franchise tag, which limits an available contract for star running back Saquon Barkley. 

In Schwartz’s article, he reported that Schoen is hoping it doesn’t get to a point where they need to decide between Jones and Barkley. 

“We’ll see if it gets to that…We’re hoping we don’t get to where it’s one or the other. It doesn’t have to be that way. If it did, we wouldn’t have contract offers out to both of ’em. It’s not necessarily one is getting tagged. Ideally that doesn’t happen and you get ’em both done, that’s gonna be better for the organization and I think it will be better for Daniel and I think it would be better for Saquon if we can get deals done without having to use the franchise tag.”

Schoen is talking positively with the players’ best interest in mind, which goes a long way in the negotiation process. His mentioning contract offers have been out to both players is a sign conversations are in a positive direction with both Barkley and Jones. 

Ideally, as New York’s general manager mentioned, both franchise players are back with the Giants long-term. The situation that’s being avoided is tagging Jones and letting others walk. If Schoen can negotiate an extension with No. 8, the running back tag price of $10.09 million would be more palatable for Barkley to return. 

Either way, the organization is better with Jones and Barkley and if they consider themselves contenders again in the playoffs for a consecutive year.

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