Getty New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley.
Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants are embroiled in a standstill as the deadline for the star running back to sign his franchise tag nears.
Barkley, who stayed away during the team’s offseason program, has until July 17 to sign the franchise tag that the Giants used back in March that would guarantee the 26-year-old $10.09 million for the 2023 season.
However, Barkley has suggested he would consider holding out, if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a long-term contract prior to the deadline.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that the two sides remain locked in a “stalemate”
According to one prominent agent, who represents one of the NFL’s top running backs, there is a clear offer that would get a deal done.
“If Saquon were my client,” the agent told Heavy. “This thing would get done if they’d come to the table at $16.2 to $16.3 million annually.”
That type of contract would make Barkley the highest-paid running back in the league, by AAV, surpassing San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey’s league-high $16.01 million.
Barkley, though, has gone on record saying he does not want to reset the running back market, so it is entirely possible that a deal gets done without making him the highest-paid player at his position.
Why Saquon Barkley Is Unlikely to Reset the Running Back Market
Given the significant leverage the Giants hold in these negotiations and the current offers that have been made, it would seem unlikely that Barkley has much of a chance of approaching the benchmark set by McCaffrey.
Multiple reports have suggested that the Giants have offered Barkley somewhere in the neighborhood of $13 million annually. For Barkley, the decision whether to sign any contract likely comes down to the total guaranteed money on the table.
Meanwhile, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports that the Giants’ best offer includes $19.5 million guaranteed. It is worth pointing out that the cost of tagging Barkley for two consecutive years is likely to surpass $22.2 million, which would be fully guaranteed.
Saquon Barkley, Giants’ Remaining Options
Last season, Barkley returned to the upper echelon of elite running backs by rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards with 10 touchdowns and adding 57 receptions for 338 yards, underscoring his importance to the Giants’ success on offense.
If Barkley and the Giants are unable to reach a long-term agreement prior to 4 p.m. on July 17, the star running back would be forced to decide between holding out for the entire season or playing under the franchise tag.
New York is scheduled to report to training camp on July 25, and it remains very much uncertain whether Barkley will participate without a new long-term contract.
“Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged,” Barkley told reporters at his annual youth football camp. “To sit here and say I was frustrated, I was mad, I was upset, what really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out and how misleading they were and how untruthful they were.”
Barkley could conceivably sit out the entire season, something that hasn’t been done since Le’Veon Bell held out for all of the 2018 campaign.
Even if Barkley and the Giants don’t reach a long-term pact by the deadline, there is little incentive for the running back to report to camp. Especially given the fact that the two sides could conceivably be in the same position next offseason, either with Barkley hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent or after being tagged a second consecutive year.