It’s been a busy week thus far for NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen. While he’s been scouting college talent at the Senior Bowl ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s also focused on keeping one of the most explosive players in the game on the roster. We’re of course talking about star running back Saquon Barkley.
With Barkley in need of a new contract, the Giants need to either tag him, or ink him to a multi-year deal. If neither of those options work, then you know teams will be lining up to try and sign him if he hits free agency.
Schoen doesn’t want to see that happen and he revealed to the media in Mobile, Ala., that he’s already on the grind trying to get something done.
Joe Schoen just spoke here on the record in Mobile. Giants had more talks with Saquon Barkley’s agents earlier this week & will continue convos next week & “with any negotiation you try to move closer and that’s what we’ll try to do next week.” Daniel Jones talks haven’t started.
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) February 1, 2023
Joe Schoen has had talks with Saquon Barkley’s agents this week
This is promising and you’d hope that the two sides can get on the same page within the next couple of weeks. It’s important to remember that Ralph Vacchiano previously reported that Barkley turned down an offer from Schoen that had him ready to make around $12 million per season.
If Barkley is looking for $15-16 million a year, that could be a problem for the Giants, but perhaps these two could meet in the middle. Barkley reminded everyone of how outstanding he can be with the ball in his hands during the regular season, rushing for more than 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Then in the Wild Card Round win over the Vikings, Barkley added two more scores for head man Brian Daboll. Barkley isn’t going to give the Giants a discount, as he wants to be paid the kind of money he thinks he deserves. Barkley deserves to be paid like one of the top RBs in the game, but the Giants won’t be overpaying for him either.
Schoen will obviously look to make Barkley happy and he’ll continue the talks with his agents to see if the two sides can reach an agreement. The thought alone of Barkley in a different jersey doesn’t sit well with fans. It’ll be on Schoen to prevent that from happening.
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