It’s looking more and more like the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley are headed for a split.
According to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post, the Giants met with Barkley’s representatives at the NFL Scouting Combine last week, but no numbers were exchanged.
That means no contract offers were made from either side.
New York still has some time to exclusively negotiate with Barkley before free agency kicks off next week, but given that the two sides have not been able to reach common ground on a long-term deal for over a year now, it seems unlikely that they will strike a pact before Barkley hits the open market.
The Giants ultimately slapped a franchise tag on Barkley last offseason, and he ended up playing in 14 games, rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a pedestrian 3.9 yards per carry. He added 41 catches for 280 yards and four scores.
Barkley, who played his collegiate football at Penn State, was selected by New York with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He burst on to the scene during his rookie campaign, racking up 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns while logging a robust five yards per attempt. He also hauled in 91 receptions for 721 yards and four scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
Since then, however, Barkley has been up and down, with much of his career being inhibited by injuries.
The 27-year-old has not played a full season since his rookie year, and he has only made one more Pro Bowl, which came in 2022 after he finished with 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns while registering 4.4 yards per tote. Plus, he snared 57 balls for 338 yards as a receiver.
Saquon Barkley’s injury history makes him a rather risky signing in free agency, particularly if he is searching for a lucrative multi-year deal.
If he does end up landing that type of contract, it almost certainly won’t be from the Giants.
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