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The New York Giants made Saquon Barkley an “awful offer,” according to former Philadelphia Eagles’ president Joe Banner. He thinks Barkley deserved a contract paying in the range of $12 million to $15 million per year.
Banner made his statement when he retweeted a post from Giants Daily, and the ex-NFL executive pointed out how changes to the salary cap meant Barkley was entitled to more: “Six RB’s got about $12/yr when cap was much much lower. That’s an awful offer. Can’t understand how people are making it sound like Giants were fair and Barkley was unreasonable.”
Providing further clarity on his initial thoughts, Banner revealed “after seeing how much deals went up because of the increases in the cap I think the fairer # is 14-15. Thus my recent comments on Giants offer.”
The Giants ultimately failed to reach a compromise with Barkley before the deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, July 17. Now, Barkley either must play this season under the franchise tag or else consider a holdout.
Holding out isn’t something Barkley wants to do, although he recently hinted the idea has crossed his mind. As things stand, the 26-year-old isn’t expected to be in attendance for the start of training camp on Wednesday, July 26, with some even suggesting he could be absent for Week 1’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s a situation that might have been avoided, but Banner, who left the Eagles in 2012, doesn’t think the Giants have treated Barkley fairly.
Giants Accused of Being Unfair in Negotiations
Speaking for “The 33rd Team,” Banner expressed his sympathy for Barkley: “I feel like [Saquon] is entitled to a lot more than the Giants have indicated they’ve offered. I would say [the Giants] haven’t been fair.”
It’s easy to sympathize with Barkley after a season where he set a career-high tally with 295 carries and also tied for the team lead with 57 receptions. His workload included six games with 20 or more rushing attempts, including two contests when Barkley was given 30-plus carries.
Barkley’s ability to answer the call over and over again is summed up by his leading all running games in “snaps per game” for 2022, according to Next Gen Stats.
His numbers and production merited a new long-term deal, but the Giants had other things to think about. Like the future of quarterback Daniel Jones, who was given a contract worth four-year, $160-million earlier this offseason.
Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen determined it was more prudent to keep a winning quarterback over a Pro Bowl running back. The decision was more cost-effective, with the tag for Barkley costing $10.091 million for this season, while tagging Jones would have incurred a bill worth $32.4 million.
Putting the tag on Jones would have squeezed the Giants’ resources under the salary cap. Instead, Schoen was able to use those funds to acquire key free agents like wide receiver Parris Campbell and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke.
Schoen made a tough call, but it’s easy to see why Barkley might feel slighted, even though the Giants tried to bridge the gap during contract talks.
Giants Couldn’t Find Right Number
Finding the right number for Barkley proved elusive for Schoen, but not for a lack of trying, according to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. He reported the “Giants’ final three-year offer was $11 million per year with guarantees between $22 million and $23 million, multiple sources told the Post.”
In a separate report for the Post, Dunleavy revealed Barkley’s “not expected to report to training camp and could decide to skip regular-season games.” That report echoes a growing sentiment Barkley is a doubt to suit up against the Cowboys on Sunday, September 10.
The possibility is real, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini, who appeared on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” and told Ryen Russillo of The Ringer, “it is definitely on the table for him (Saquon Barkley) to sit out against Dallas. Do I think he’s made the decision fully yet? No.”
That scenario is still a long way off, but in the meantime, Giants will be left playing a waiting game hoping Barkley signs his franchise tag tender. He “has not yet signed”, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The ideal outcome for Schoen is seeing Barkley report for the season and motivated to prove why he deserved a bigger payday. Ironically, that payday may come from somebody other than the Giants a year from now.
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