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There’s “no deal to be done that low” between Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants, despite the team offering its star running back $19.5 million guaranteed, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.
The Giants had counted on Barkley accepting the franchise tag applied earlier this season, but the two-time Pro Bowler has other ideas. Those ideas include Barkley turning to CAA Brand Management for help negotiating his next contract, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
Barkley isn’t happy with the tag and is instead seeking a lucrative, long-term deal. Yet, there have been conflicting reports about what the 26-year-old expects to get paid per year.
Florio put the figure at $13 million, but Barkley indicated otherwise, prompting the reporter to state “and while Barkley has no obligation to disclose what he was offered or what he requested, it rings a little hollow for him to tweet a pair of cap emojis if he’s not also willing to share the truth, since he presumably knows it.”
Whatever the truth, there’s a growing sense both sides are entrenched and a compromise looks a long way off with the deadline for a decision looming on Monday, July 17.
Impasse Developing Between Giants and Star Player
The contract drama between the Giants and their star player is now more than simmering. It’s threatening to boil over, with ESPN’s Dianna Russini reporting both “sides remain at a stalemate.”
That word “stalemate” is not welcome news for the Giants nor general manager Joe Schoen. Especially when it comes amid reports Barkley could sit out Week 1’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys if a deal hasn’t been struck.
Barkley’s desire to find a solution one way or another might have motivated the decision to add to his representation. Florio reported “per NFLPA records, Barkley is currently represented by Kim Miale of Roc Nation and Ed Perry of CAA. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Perry was added to the negotiating team in the middle of June.”
Having a new marketing department help sell his case could sway the Giants, although Shoen and the franchise may also feel they’ve offered enough already. It’s a tricky argument given the diminishing value of the running back position, compared with Barkley’s significance to the Giants’ offense.
Saquon Barkley Should Take Latest Deal
Barkley should think twice about walking away from the terms Dunleavy outlined. The latter detailed how accepting the tag this season and another in 2024 would rubber stamp “$22.2 million over two years.”
It’s a hefty sum of guaranteed cash, but Barkley is unlikely to welcome another tag-based saga next offseason if he’s not signing now. The better move would be take an offer that still acknowledges Barkley’s talent and production.
His numbers yielded a prolific comeback campaign, per Pro Football Focus.
Statistics like those prove Barkley was the fulcrum of both phases of the Giants’ offense. He was the workhorse on the ground, as well as the go-to receiver for quarterback Daniel Jones.
Big Blue’s QB1 got his payday, but Barkley has been made to wait. The waiting game is typical of an offseason when running backs have been devalued at a spectacular rate.
Today’s poor standing for running backs is summed up by the Las Vegas Raiders not yet agreeing a contract with Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing in 2022. There’s also the Minnesota Vikings releasing Dalvin Cook after four-straight 1,000-yard seasons.
While it’s tougher to find an even competent quarterback in today’s league, replacing Barkley would be no easy task. Without him in the lineup, defenses will be free to empty the box and force Jones and his revamped group of receivers to beat them.
Staying with the Giants will be good for Barkley based on how head coach Brian Daboll and coordinator Mike Kafka built the offense around him in 2022. Barkley will struggle to find another team prepared to dedicate so many pages of the playbook to him and pay him what he wants.
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