It could be a little while before we see Saquon Barkley back on the field with the New York Giants. The non-exclusive franchise tag was placed on Saquon Barkley in March and at the moment, he has no intentions to sign it.
In addition to not signing the franchise tag, Saquon Barkley will not be participating in the Giants’ offseason program which begins next week. This isn’t all too surprising as he currently isn’t under contract with the team and has no obligation to show up or take part.
The franchise tag was placed on him after the Giants struck a deal with quarterback Daniel Jones in the waning moments before the deadline. There had been some long-term offers on the table for the Giants, but once it was clear that the running back market was not materializing as some had believed it would, the offers were pulled.
Right now, this isn’t too big of a deal for the Giants. It is not uncommon for franchise-tagged players to wait to sign their deal, skipping some of the offseason programs to try and continue hammering out a long-term deal. Should this drag on into the summer when training camp is knocking on the door, it will be a bigger issue.
The deadline for a long-term contract to be signed is July 17th. If no deal is reached, Saquon Barkley’s only course of action is to play the 2023 season out on the franchise tag. For a player that has missed as many games as Barkley has, that is a risky proposition.
Hopefully, a long-term deal can be worked out. Saquon Barkley is one of the leaders on the team and a respected voice in the locker room as he was voted a team captain. Having him in the building and under contract is what the Giants would prefer, but right now, the decision is Barkley’s about when to sign the franchise tag tender.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is coming off the best season of his career since his rookie campaign. Injuries, inept coaching and a weak supporting cast have negatively impacted him, but he has shown when healthy that he is as dynamic of a player as there is in the NFL.
Retaining him is key to the Giants finding success in 2023 and beyond. They have struggled to consistently move the ball whenever he isn’t on the field as he is the most important player on offense.
