The Giants still have work to do when it comes to filling holes on the roster in advance of the 2023 season. A lot of that work will probably come via next week’s NFL Draft. Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen, and Co. can focus on certain areas because the centerpieces of New York’s offense are in place with quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley.
But, only one of those centerpieces is happy. Jones got his four-year extension with lots of guaranteed money to throw in his bank account. Barkley is still waiting for his multi-year deal while he refuses to sign the franchise tag tender and sits out of voluntary offseason workouts.
The former Penn State Nittany Lion and his camp have painted themselves into a corner regarding contract negotiations. After not coming to a midseason agreement, the only card left for Barkley to play was to not show up for workouts. There’s a scenario where the running back could find himself back on the open market this offseason, but that’s very unlikely.
So, the gist of this situation is that Barkley wants a multi-year deal with the Giants, and Big Blue is in no rush to give in to whatever demands his reps have. How much longer might we have to deal with this saga? As it turns out, this could technically continue for about another three (!) months.
Here is the key Saquon Barkley Giants date (and time) in the NFL offseason schedule https://t.co/Ww1DZevkHD pic.twitter.com/XnwFvR5Jer
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) April 19, 2023
We all know about Barkley’s desire to be a Giant for life. But we also know that no NFL player enjoys playing on a one-year deal. Especially for a 26-year-old running back who might only have this opportunity to get that big payday.
Nothing is going to happen between now and next week. The Giants are in draft mode, after all. You’d have to imagine nothing will happen in the immediate aftermath of the NFL Draft, either. With that in mind, it’s easy to see this ordeal drag on into mid or late-May. Early June wouldn’t at all be surprising, either.
At this point, it’s a game of chicken and both sides want to see who will give in first. Schoen and Big Blue appear to have all the leverage here, though. So, we’ll see just how much longer Saqon Barkley and his camp want to keep this going.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
