The Giants have until July 17 to get a long-term contract completed with Saquon Barkley. Otherwise, the running back will have to play under the one-year, $10.1 million franchise tag.
Or he could sit out the season.
Barkley didn’t rule that out while speaking to reporters Sunday after his youth football game in Jersey City.
“For me, it’s like we got until July 17,” Barkley said, via Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “They can say what they want. We can say what we want. . . . Just one day at a time. One day at a time. Now, that day comes up and I have to sit down and have that conversation, then I will sit down and have that conversation.
“We’ll see what’s the best plan for me to do.”
Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell sat out the 2018 season, refusing to sign the franchise tag in a contract dispute with the Steelers. He since repeatedly has said he regrets his decision as Bell’s career never was the same again.
After months of talks, Barkley said he doesn’t know whether the sides will come to an agreement in the next month. He is hoping so, though.
“I think they’re open to talking,” Barkley said. “I think I’m open to talking. But I think at the end of the day, when you really break it down and look at it as a whole, it’s not a rush. There’s no rush. We still have time. . . . July 17 is not tomorrow. It’s not in a week. We still have time, and that’s how I look at it.”
Barkley, who rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022, expressed frustration with the team’s front office. He accused the Giants of “misleading” and “untruthful” leaks about negotiations, with reports he turned down deals with annual average values of $12.5 million to $13 million.
Barkley said the reports “tried to make me look like I’m greedy,” adding that he is not trying to reset the running back market.
“It’s all about respect,” Barkley said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “That’s really what it is.”
Barkley has not signed the franchise tag, so he is not under contract and thus will not attend the team’s mandatory minicamp this week.
