Saquon Barkley needs a new contract
Saquon Barkley would be the top NFL running back this offseason to hit the free agent market if the New York Giants let him go there. They don’t appear to want him to hit free agency. But a new report has revealed that the Giants aren’t close to a long extension.
Barkley has been the focal point of the Giants’ offense since he was drafted by the Giants second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Barkley has been as flashy on the field as much as he’s been injury prone. He has 37 offensive touchdowns in his NFL career. Barkley recorded 4,249 yards rushing and 1,820 yards receiving since he came into the league.
Safe to say, Barkley has pretty much been the Giants’ offense since 2018.
The Giants offered Barkley nearly $12 million a year in negotiations during the 2022 season. The two-time Pro Bowl athlete turned that offer down; he’s eyeing a deal in the ballpark of $16 million a year.
The Giants and Barkley still aren’t close
Things don’t seem to have changed since the season ended. Jordan Raanan with ESPN wrote an article on the Giants’ offseason plans with quarterback Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Raanan wrote that the Giants seem more willing to extend Jones than Barkley and that the Giants are leaning toward using the franchise tag on Barkley. That would cost the Giants only $10.1 million next season.
According to the report by Raanan, talks between Barkley and the Giants have not made progress since the initial regular season offering:
“But Barkley is not the franchise quarterback. Schoen noted the two sides were “not close” on a deal when they talked during the bye week in November. They’ve reengaged after the season, but not much seems to have changed.”
It seems the Giants are serious about keeping Saquon Barkley’s salary at a premium. With his injury history, it would make sense for the Giants not to overspend on a running back. However, letting Barkley walk in favor of locking down Jones is questionable. Jones had a better season under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, but he’s not elite (15 touchdowns to five interceptions in 2022.) by any stretch of the imagination.
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