Saquon Barkley, the sensational running back for the New York Giants, still doesn’t have a new contract, and the clock is ticking on his efforts to come to terms with his team on a new one.
The Giants used their franchise tag on him earlier this offseason, and as a result, he has until July 17 to sign a new contract or at least agree to play out the upcoming season on that franchise tag.
Barkley reportedly doesn’t want the kind of money that comes with playing on a franchise tag, which means the only option is for him and New York to agree to an actual contract.
Jordan Ranaan reports that if no deal is reached by Monday, Barkley won’t be in training camp and will possibly miss at least some of the upcoming regular season.
The takeaway from this is that if there is no deal by Monday … we won’t see Saquon Barkley at training camp or likely until some time in September or later. https://t.co/OVRCLXE1LE
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) July 12, 2023
The consequences could be grave for the Giants, who surprised most people by making the playoffs last season but greatly lack offensive firepower outside of Barkley.
They do not have any bona fide playmakers at the wide receiver position, and although they brought in Darren Waller, a former Pro Bowler, he is a tight end, and generally speaking, a team shouldn’t rely on a tight end to lead them in receiving yards unless they are the Kansas City Chiefs.
Barkley rebounded from a couple of injury-riddled seasons to put up 1,312 rushing yards, 338 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns in 2022.
It should be noted that the Giants gave big deals this offseason to quarterback Daniel Jones and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, which will make it difficult for them to pay Barkley what he wants within the restraints of the salary cap.
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