Today was the deadline for former Penn State running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and the New York Giants to reach an agreement on a new deal. That deadline passed with no agreement reached between the two sides, which means Barkley will now play this season on the franchise tag for the Giants.
The Giants placed a franchise tag on Barkley earlier in the NFL offseason, guaranteeing Barkley $10.1 million for the 2023 season before Barkley could test the free agent market in the offseason. Now, the decision is up to Barkley on how soon he wants to get started with the Giants again on that franchise tag.
Barkley has suggested before the idea of holding out has crossed his mind, and it was not seemingly a plan he would eliminate from his mindset. Whether he follows through on holding out will be a major storyline to follow once the Giants open up training camp. Giants Wire has a bit more on the breakdown of the options in play for Barkley and the Giants.
“It is what it is,” Barkley posted on his Twitter account after the deadline had passed without a deal.
It is what it is
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 17, 2023
Barkley is coming off his fifth year with the Giants, the team that drafted him with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Last year, Barkley helped the Giants end through playoff drought and advance past the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC wild-card round. Barkley ended his 2022 season with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns with 1,650 total yards from scrimmage.
In five seasons, Barkley has rushed for 4,249 yards and scored 29 touchdowns despite essentially missing the entire 2020 season due to a torn ACL.
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