Monday was the deadline for the New York Giants to work out a long-term extension with running back Saquon Barkley. The team placed the franchise tag on their star player earlier this offseason and 4 p.m. ET on July 17th was the deadline to get a deal done.
While the two sides negotiated right up until the final buzzer, ultimately, no deal was reached. The running back market has been suppressed this offseason, which certainly played a role in no deal getting done. Both sides had a number that they weren’t willing to cross and in the end, neither conceded.
With no long-term deal getting done, the Giants and Saquon Barkley cannot work out a long-term contract until after the 2023 season. But, the big story now is when will we see the 2018 No. 2 overall pick back with this team?
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, it won’t be any time soon. Minutes after it was announced that no deal was made, Schultz provided an update saying Saquon Barkley would not be reporting to training camp as a result.
Saquon Barkley has been away from the team all offseason as he wasn’t present at OTAs or mandatory minicamp. Because he hasn’t signed his franchise tender, he didn’t have to be present. But, now there is the looming possibility of him sitting out the 2023 season, which reportedly isn’t out of the question for him.
That would be a worst-case scenario for everyone involved. The Giants’ offense revolves almost entirely around Saquon Barkley and his dual-threat ability out of the backfield. General manager Joe Schoen was able to add some upgrades in the passing game this offseason, but without the Penn State product, the entire game plan offensively will have to change.
The Giants are hopeful that Saquon Barkley will eventually sign the franchise tender, which is worth $10.1 million, and report. It is the same situation that the Las Vegas Raiders are now in with Josh Jacobs, who also didn’t receive a long-term deal and has no plans to report to training camp.
Right now the Giants have Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell and rookie fifth-round pick Eric Gray as their running back group. They are crossing their fingers that Saquon Barkley will eventually come to camp, otherwise their backfield situation is in dire straits.
