As you might have been able to guess, the Saquon Barkley absence is a major topic of conversation over at NY Giants OTAs. No. 26 is not out on the field with the rest of his teammates, as he remains unhappy about being placed on the franchise tag.
Head coach Brian Daboll respectfully declined to comment on Barkley. However, quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed his $160 million deal this offseason, was a little bit more open with the media when he met with them on Thursday. Jones 100 percent wants the fellow offensive playmaker out on the field with him - and he's hoping a new contract can get done soon.
"He's been a very important part of what we've done here and he's a tremendous part of this offense so I hope they can get something done"
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 25, 2023
Daniel Jones on #NYGiants ongoing extension talks with Saquon Barkley
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Giants QB Daniel Jones is pushing for Saquon Barkley to get a new deal
Jones and Barkley are close friends, with Danny Dimes saying he's been speaking with him regularly despite the star running back not being in East Rutherford. On top of that, Jones went on to say that Barkley is a great teammate, which no one can argue with.
The big issue here is that while the two sides have tried to get something done, Schoen and Barkley's reps can't seem to get on the same page. During the bye week last fall, Barkley reportedly rejected an offer around $12.5 million.
Then at the start of the offseason, Barkley also reportedly turned down an offer that would have been in the $14 million range with incentives. It's unknown how much money Barkley is looking for, but his agent shot down rumors that he wanted to be paid like Christian McCaffrey, the NFL's top RB earner.
The longer things don't get settled with Barkley, the higher the concern will grow among the fan base that a potential training camp holdout could be on the way. The G-Men have until July 17 to have Barkley put the pen to paper for a new contract. Countless people want to see it happen, including Jones.