You knew things weren’t going to be easy for NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen this offseason, but the man is most definitely earning his paycheck right now. At the top of Schoen’s list is figuring out things with both quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley. We don’t envy the young GM right now.
While there’s a bit of Danny Dimes drama, things are a bit tricky for Schoen with Barkley as well. According to NY Giants insider Paul Schwartz, the two sides aren’t getting much closer on their contract talks.
Barkley wants to be paid like one of the top RBs in the game, but there’s a chance the G-Men won’t be able to make it happen for him.
#Giants RB Saquon Barkley is now considered likely to hit free-agency
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 21, 2023
There is still a “gap” in negotiations between the team and Barkley, per @nypost
Giants arent likely to pay Saquon more than $12.5M a year and have "little interest" in placing the $10.1M franchise tag on him pic.twitter.com/W0QE5tMO5A
Saquon Barkley and the Giants have a lot of work to do contract wise
"“As of the latest talks, a gap still exists,” Schwartz wrote in a recent piece for the New York Post. “The Giants are not going to go much higher than an annual average of $12.5 million. They could increase their offer as far as guarantees. The Giants have little interest in having Barkley play the 2023 season on the franchise tag for $10.1 million because they are unwilling to eat up so much of their cap space on a running back.”"
What’s interesting about Schwartz’s update is that the Giants offered Barkley around $12 million per season during the bye week. That wasn’t enough for No. 26, who is looking for what feels like $14-15 million. Earlier in the offseason, Barkley said he knew that he wasn’t going to reset the RB market with his next deal.
However, if the Giants, as Schwartz is reporting, won’t go higher than $12.5 million, then it may not be enough to keep Barkley in a Big Blue uniform. Placing the franchise tag on him won’t be an option if that move is made with Jones. Because of this, it would leave the door open for Barkley to enter free agency and head elsewhere.
Barkley was a force in 2022, returning to Pro Bowl form. He was so much fun to watch throughout the campaign, but the Giants aren’t going to overpay him either. Just like Jones, unless Barkley brings his price down, then it doesn’t feel like the two sides will be able to make something happen. Could Barkley leave town? We hope not, but that could turn out to be the case.
4 ways Daniel Jones’ selfishness could hurt the NY Giants this offseason
With NY Giants quarterback Daniel Jones potentially looking for $45 million a season, his demands will have a negative impact for this team.