Now what? That must be what NY Giants fans must be asking themselves after Big Blue and Saquon Barkley were unable to come to terms on a contract extension. This one went down to the wire, with the two sides trying to get something in place.
Things just weren't mean to be and now Saquon will have to play the 2023 campaign on the non-exclusive franchise tag, which will bring him home $10.1 million. However, there's still worry that he'll sit out not only Week 1, but the entire campaign too.
From the moment the Barkley news dropped, people have been losing their minds all over social media. The Twitter reactions have been flying in and they'll keep on coming strong throughout the week.
No deal for the #Giants and star RB Saquon Barkley, with talks going down to the wire and the best efforts made to strike a compromise, per me, @TomPelissero, and @MikeGarafolo. He’ll play on the tag, but the question is when. pic.twitter.com/DxbEHiRlKL
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 17, 2023
NY Giants fans can't believe Saquon Barkley didn't sign a new contract
Barkley was quick to post, "it is what it is" on his Twitter account, which has already blown up. There are plenty of NY supporters who were hoping that he'd get his bag to start the week, while others are thrilled Joe Schoen didn't give in to his demands:
Giants fans rn pic.twitter.com/6yIfRez8P8
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) July 17, 2023
Seasons over because u want to be money hungry
— J 🦌 (@Jayxce) July 17, 2023
You should sit out for like half the season or so to get the league to respect running backs again!
— NotSeb (@Seb214214) July 17, 2023
I guess my last minute IG hype DM didn’t work?
— NYGcrush🍎 (@NYGcrush) July 17, 2023
Sorry, 26. Was rooting hard for this. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. 💔💙
Cmon saquon what happen to all that "Giants for life" ish you was talking in January. What a joke🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/luC8g73uDq
— Fisk Vegas (@bullyfisk) July 17, 2023
As a Giants fan, if you sit out. I respect it. Get your bag Saquon. You know your worth, and as a fan I don’t fault you.
— JokicBedAh🤑 (@RipsAndSlips) July 17, 2023
SAY IT AINT SO
— Tervis Scoot (@tervisscoot) July 17, 2023
I’m proud of Joe Schoen. He stood his ground the entire time.
— 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 (@DanielJonesMVP) July 17, 2023
My take on the Saquon standoff:
— DG (@honestlyDG) July 17, 2023
This is a W for the Giants. Joe Schoen is more important to the long term success of this franchise than Barkley. Not caving set a bar. Saquon will still make top RB $ & if he balls out again we are here again next year.pic.twitter.com/RYyGyo8X3u
As you can see from the tweets above, people are pretty split on how things unfolded in this case. No one can deny that Barkley is incredibly valuable to the offense for the G-Men, but Schoen had his limits in terms of the amount of dough he was ready to put on the table.
With the way the RB market has been set, it was not a good offseason for studs to get big-time contracts. In addition to Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard did not sign a contract extension with the Raiders and Cowboys, respectively, before the deadline.
The rest of the summer, fans will be waiting patiently to see when/if Barkley signs his tender. With the Giants starting training camp on July 26, it'd be a major surprise if he's present in East Rutherford. Not only that, we may not see him at MetLife Stadium come Week 1 for the Sunday Night Football showdown with the Cowboys either.
READ MORE: Saquon Barkley posts cryptic message after not landing Giants extension