The New York Giants only have a few days left to work out a long-term extension with franchise-tagged running back, Saquon Barkley. The deadline to work out a long-term deal with a franchise-tagged player is Monday, July 17th, so the two sides have to get working on a deal. If not, things could get ugly.
According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, via Jordan Ranaan, Barkley’s availability for Week 1 is in serious question if a long-term deal isn’t reached between the two sides. If a deal isn’t reached by the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Monday, Barkley won’t be able to sign an extension until after the 2023 season.
That is a situation that the Giants need to do everything in their power to avoid. Barkley is too important of a player in every aspect to allow this contract situation to drag on potentially throughout the regular season.
Alas, things aren’t improving. According to ESPN, the two sides remain at a stalemate as no progress has been made in recent weeks. That will likely change with the deadline looming, as negotiations will assuredly heat up in the coming days.
Will they heat up enough that a deal gets done? That remains to be seen. There is no doubt that the No. 2 overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft deserves a new contract, but given the landscape of the running back market, it is easy to see why the Giants don’t want to give him a huge contract.
Barkley reportedly isn’t seeking a contract that resets the running back market, which is currently led by Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. But, this whole thing has disappointed Barkley, who revealed his frustrations in June.
“Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged,” Barkley said. “To sit here and say I was frustrated, I was mad, I was upset, what really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out, how misleading they were and how untruthful they were.
“I feel it was trying to paint a narrative of me, a picture of me, that is not even true. Not even close to being the truth.”
The Giants have to be careful with how things are being perceived as Barkley is a team captain and an integral part of the franchise. If things go south it will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster and locker room.
