The Giants and running back Saquon Barkley have fewer than five days left to do a long-term deal. While it’s unclear whether they’ll get one finalized by Monday at 4:00 p.m. ET, an effort was made to make it happen before application of the franchise tag.
Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Giants extended an offer to Barkley worth $13 million per year, including $26 million over the first two years. The offer was made before the deadline for applying the franchise tag, with the express message from the team that, if the tag were applied to Barkley, the offer would be pulled. Barkley was looking for Christian McCaffrey money, we’re told; that’s roughly $16 million per year.
The Giants had wanted to sign Barkley to a multi-year deal and to apply the franchise tag to quarterback Daniel Jones. They instead signed Jones and tagged Barkley — and they have not to date been willing to put the $13 million per year offer back on the table for Barkley.
Barkley deserves more than the $10.1 million he’s due to make this year under the franchise tender, but deserve doesn’t matter. The rules allowed the Giants to squat on Barkley’s rights for $10.1 million in 2023, and to keep him in 2024 for a 20-percent raise over his 2023 salary.
That’s only $22.22 million over two years.
Barkley is making noise currently about holding out into the regular season because he needs to muster any/some leverage before Monday. After Monday, nothing he says or does can get him a long-term deal in 2023. At that point, the question becomes whether the Giants will offer more than the tag on a one-year deal, and/or whether the Giants will agree not to tag him again in 2024.
