As previously reported, the Giants had an offer on the table for running back Saquon Barkley before the franchise tag was applied. As we’ve recently heard, the Giants had another offer on the table during the offseason program. Barkley, represented exclusively at the time by Roc Nation Sports, accepted neither offer.
So what impact will his recent involvement of CAA have on the ongoing discussions? From the Giants’ perspective, none whatsover.
Per a league source, the Giants aren’t inclined to re-shuffle the deck or start over simply because Barkley has added another agency to his negotiating team. Talks have occurred, and those talks provide the framework for wherever it goes from here.
If it doesn’t go somewhere quickly, the Giants and Barkley won’t be able to do a multi-year deal, by rule. As of 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, the window closes until after the regular-season concludes.
The question then becomes whether the Giants would offer more than $10.1 million on a one-year deal, and/or whether they would agree to not tag him in 2024. From Barkley’s perspective, the question becomes when and if he’ll show up to collect his franchise tender, one $561,000 game check at a time.