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As contract negotiations between Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants appear to be at a continual standstill, the July 17th deadline to get a new deal done continues to inch closer.
The Giants, of course, used the franchise tag on Barkley minutes before the deadline back in March.
Despite the slow-moving negotiations, Anthony Holzman-Escareno of NFL Network still expects something to get done. Accordingly, he recently named Barkley to the NFL’s All-Paid Team of Tomorrow.
Barkley took the league by storm after going second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He led the NFL with 2,028 scrimmage yards and scored 15 touchdowns on his way to earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He put together a solid 2019 season, and the RB market began to grow — the top four current contracts by APY were signed prior to the 2020 season. It seemed like it was just a matter of time before Barkley would sign a long, large extension with Big Blue.
Then, the unforgiving injury bug hit. Barkley played just 15 games over the course of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, totaling 950 scrimmage yards and four scores over that span. Consequently, the Giants let him play out his fifth-year option in 2022. A healthy Barkley returned to play 16 games last season, posting a career high 1,312 rushing yards. He finished with more scrimmage yards (1,650) and touchdowns (10) than he’d posted in those two injury-plagued seasons combined, earning his first Pro Bowl nod since the transcendent 2018 rookie season.
After making their first playoff appearance since 2016, the Giants extended Daniel Jones this offseason and used the franchise tag on Barkley. He’s yet to sign the tag as of this writing in hopes of receiving a long-term deal prior to the July 17 deadline. The Giants do have reason to be cautious here: Barkley is a running back entering Year 6 with an injury history and he faded down the stretch last season (103.4 rush YPG in Weeks 1-10 and 54.4 in Weeks 11-18). Barkley is likely the position’s last hope in the next year or so to move the market upward.
There is no doubt that the Giants want to keep Barkley around. However, the two sides still seem to be far apart on a new deal.
Barkley is coming off the best season since his rookie campaign when he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. His bounce-back year in 2022 proved that Barkley was back to form as one of the league’s best running backs.
With Barkley being vital to the Giants’ offense, the two sides would like to get a deal done sooner rather than later. Whether it’s with the Giants or another team next offseason, Barkley’s next contract will be a lucrative one assuming he has a similar season and stays healthy.
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