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Giants running back Saquon Barkley is enjoying a resurgent season in the final year of his rookie contract, and the team apparently would like to keep him around for the future. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Giants and Barkley started extension talks over the bye week and will continue those discussions in the offseason.
New York general manager Joe Schoen said he doesn’t want to hold extension talks during the season, aside from the bye week, to avoid distraction. However, by holding talks over the bye week, the organization has shown its commitment to keeping Barkley.
Through eight games, Barkley has 779 rushing yards, which ranks third in the league, and five rushing touchdowns. He recorded 593 rushing yards in 13 games last season after missing almost all of the 2020 season due to a torn ACL.
Barkley is seeking to become one of the highest paid running backs in the league, per Rapoport. Currently, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey leads the position with an average annual value of $16 million a year, while Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is set to make up to $90 million over the length of his current deal.
The Giants, who are off to a surprising 6-2 start, have both Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones as impending free agents, and they can only use the franchise tag on one of the two. If they want to extend both, they will have a limited window in the offseason to do so.
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