Getty The New York Giants could be without Saquon Barkley vs. the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
Saquon Barkley’s chances of suiting up for the New York Giants against NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season are in “serious jeopardy,” according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Saquon Barkley has made it clear the franchise tag is undesirable. I’m told his availability for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys will be in serious question if he does not get a long-term deal from the Giants.
The issue stems from Barkley’s desire not to play on the franchise tag and instead sign a lucrative new contract ahead of the deadline on Monday, July 17. A brewing stalemate casts a stronger light on the value of quality running backs in today’s league.
That diminishing value was summed up by the Giants paying quarterback Daniel Jones ahead of Barkley earlier this offseason. Jones received a four-year, $160-million contract, while Barkley was tagged at a cost of $10.091 million.
Barkley is right to question the choice given his importance to the Giants’ surprise playoff push in 2022. Yet, he’s hit back at reports he’s been offered $13 million per season.
Barkley Rejects $26 Million Guaranteed Reports
A report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio indicated the Giants had presented Barkley with a contract including $26 million guaranteed for two years. Details of the report were tweeted by MLFootball, prompting Barkley to retweet with a caption featuring two cap emojis.
Russini’s colleague Jordan Raanan retweeted Barkley’s message with this interpretation: “Cap. Lie. That is what Saquon’s saying here.”
Raanan’s assertion Barkley isn’t looking to top the highest-earners at his position is a ray of light for the Giants. Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is the best-paid back in football thanks to an annual salary of a little over $16 million, per Spotrac.com, but Barkley has long maintained he’s not out to “reset the market.”
Instead, the sticking point remains getting fair value for talents that powered a one-dimensional Giants’ offense last season.
Tension Building Between Saquon Barkley and Giants
While the Jones-led passing attack mustered a league-low 28 completions of 20-plus yards, Barkley was prolific in both phases. He rushed for 1,312 yards on a career-high 295 carries, while also tying for the team with 57 catches.
The Giants’ apparent unwillingness to recognize Barkley’s contributions has turned things icy between player and team.
They are “no closer on a deal and had not spoken in the days leading up to this week,” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (h/t Grant Gordon of NFL.com). Meanwhile, Raanan reported how the “entire contract situation has not sat well with Barkley.”
Silence is beginning to speak volumes in this standoff, and while Barkley’s right to feel aggrieved, some interesting numbers help support the Giants’ decision to stand firm on using the tag.
Late-Season Decline Gives Giants Leverage
Barkley’s prodigious output early last season helped the Giants take opponents by surprise. He was averaging 4.7 yards a rush during the first nine games, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, but he also noted how Barkley slumped before rebounding late.
Significantly, Duggan detailed how “Barkley’s efficiency rebounded when his workload was reduced. He averaged 12.4 carries in the final five games after averaging 19.3 carries in the first 13 games.”
If Barkley’s a better player with fewer touches, the Giants naturally won’t want to pay him more for seeing less of the ball. Following that train of thought would be a calculated gamble, especially since there isn’t another back on the roster who can match Barkley’s explosiveness and versatility.
The Giants brought veteran Matt Breida back in free agency and used a fifth-round pick to draft Eric Gray. There are high hopes for the latter, while Breida knows this offense well having played for Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll with the Buffalo Bills in 2021.
Breida and Gray could help cobble together a credible rushing attack, but without Barkley, the Giants will be betting big on Jones’ arm being able to power the offense. Daboll should hope general manager Joe Schoen can reach a compromise with Barkley before the Cowboys arrive at MetLife Stadium on September 10.