After what has felt like years of waiting, the decision has been made for the NY Giants and star running back Saquon Barkley. This one went down to the wire, as countless people were waiting until the 4 p.m. deadline to see how things would go down.
Well, it looks like the drama is only going to continue for the rest of the summer. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, no extension will be signed on Monday. With that, Barkley will have to play on the non-exclusive franchise tag, but his status for Week 1 is now in serious doubt:
It is what it is
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 17, 2023
NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley did not sign an extension on Monday
Last season for the Giants, Barkley posted a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. No one can argue that he was not only the most explosive playmaker for the Giants offense, but also one of the best offensive players in the NFL as a whole.
Thanks to his incredible campaign, Barkley went to the Pro Bowl for the first time since his incredible rookie season. No. 26 had battled so many injuries in previous years, including a torn ACL, so seeing him back in the Pro Bowl along with some of the NFL's best was great to see.
After the Giants went 9-7-1 and punched their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Barkley was showered with love by the Big Blue faithful. However, after the loss to the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round, all the focus went to his potential contract extension.
There has been a lot of drama in recent months, with plenty of leaked reports seemingly dividing the fanbase in half. At times, people had little to no hope that a deal would be signed, while at other points this offseason folks had been confident that Barkley would put the pen to paper.
On Monday, everyone finally got their answer. Looking ahead to this season, we must now wait and see if Barkley will be out on the field for Week 1 vs. Dallas. Plenty of NY supporters will be worried leading up to that showdown.
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