No deal for Saquon Barkley and the Giants
Saquon Barkley and the Giants did not reach a deal before Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline. If Barkley plays this season, it will be under the $10.1 million franchise tag.
It’s almost inconceivable that it has come to this between the Giants and the player who represented 28% of their offense in 2022, a season in which they returned to the playoffs and won a road game in the first year of the new coach/general manager regime of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen.
When Barkley was drafted into the NFL, then-Giants general manager Dave Gettleman proclaimed: “He was touched by the hand of God.”
So much for the hyperbole — and good feelings — of days gone by.
Now entering his sixth season, Barkley may be in a strange state of limbo with the only NFL team he’s ever known.
As he tweeted just before the deadline when it became apparent that no deal would be struck: “It is what it is.”
Barkley was heavily involved in negotiations, according to a source. Another source said the Giants offered $22.2 million in guaranteed money. That total represents twice the franchise tag. Barkley and his camp, which includes two agencies at this point, turned it down.
The running back position has been devalued in today’s NFL, and Barkley wasn’t the only big name who was tagged who didn’t reach a deal on Monday. Josh Jacobs of the Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Cowboys also will have to decide if they want to play on the franchise tag.
Giants veterans report to camp on July 25, and
Barkley almost certainly won’t be there. In fact, he can sit out all of training camp if he chooses to do so. He would start to lose paychecks — out of the $10.1 million salary — only if he skipped regular-season games.
If he sat out the season, or part of it, Barkley would prove hard to replace. On Monday, ESPN showed a graphic to illustrate his value in terms of expected points added during the last five years: With Barkley on the field, the Giants’ offense rated a plus-40.1. Without Barkley? Minus 126.9.
Daboll likely will quickly tire of repeatedly being asked questions about a player who isn’t in training camp. The running back depth chart behind Barkley is composed of Matt Breida, rookie Eric Gray and Gary Brightwell.
After the deadline passed on Monday, former Giants great Michael Strahan told Newsday that he understands how Barkley likely is feeling.
“I feel for him,” Strahan said. “I know Joe [Schoen] loves Saquon. And Saquon is the leader. He’s the heart and soul of that team.”
In August 2007, Strahan was a Giants holdout. He decided to report a week before the first week of the season. By season’s end, he was lifting a Lombardi Trophy as he eased into retirement.
But during Strahan’s holdout, there was strife. He missed 36 days of training camp at a fine of $14,288 a day. To allow for his return, the Giants and Strahan reached a settlement in which the total fine was reduced from $514,368, but the amount he owed still was considered substantial.
Strahan is bullish on the Schoen-Daboll partnership, but he also understands the player perspective. He’s been there.
Strahan said he feels bad for Barkley because of the current state of the NFL running back.
“I understand that you can’t overpay,” he said, “but he’s so valuable to that team. And you don’t want him not to be happy.”
Strahan said he sees a lot of himself in Barkley: “If you take him out of the offense, what do you have? [The Giants] need this kid. I really hope the fans understand. I hope that they don’t kill his spirit.”
Strahan said his advice to Barkley is to play the season and “see what’s out there” afterward.
Strahan always roots for the Giants, and it sounded as if he’ll have a special interest in Barkley this year.
“If I’m him, I understand it’s business,” Strahan said, “and I’d see what’s out there on the market next year.”
At some point, Barkley will have to decide if he will report to training camp — and if he will play this season.
He’s been a model teammate, a four-time captain. He’s been Daniel Jones’ biggest advocate, and he’s been a locker room spokesman.
Barkley is coming off his best season, having amassed 1,312 yards. He was the fourth-leading rusher in the league.
In three of his five seasons, he has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.
According to Next Gen Stats, Barkley ranked as the seventh-most-explosive runner last season. He had 32 plays of at least 10 yards, which are considered “explosive plays.” (The players ahead of him: Nick Chubb, Tony Pollard, Lamar Jackson, Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker III and Justin Fields.)
“We love Saquon,” Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown said in June. “He knows how I feel about him, he knows how we feel about him collectively. But we’re going to keep team business inside, but I’m excited for whenever he’s back. I know he’s taking care of his business right now.”
At some point, that business will have Barkley back on the football field with his teammates and in his true comfort zone.
But it might be a while.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
