New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has repeatedly stated he doesn’t want to reset the market and isn’t looking for a top-of-the-line contract but that hasn’t stopped reports from suggesting otherwise.
Shortly after word surfaced that Barkley’s Week 1 availability is in “serious question,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk released a report saying that Barkley is seeking up to $16 million per season.
Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Giants extended an offer to Barkley worth $13 million per year, including $26 million over the first two years. The offer was made before the deadline for applying the franchise tag, with the express message from the team that, if the tag were applied to Barkley, the offer would be pulled. Barkley was looking for Christian McCaffrey money, we’re told; that’s roughly $16 million per year.
Barkley was having none of the report, immediately calling “cap” on Florio. In fact, the superstar back tweeted out a double “cap,” denying both the reported guaranteed money as well as the $16 million demand.
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 12, 2023
For those unfamiliar with the slang, “cap” essentially means that Barkley is calling Florio a liar on two fronts.
Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that there has been “no communication” between the Giants and Barkley over the past week but that doesn’t mean a long-term deal won’t eventually get done.
“We’ve still got some time before Monday,” Garafolo said. “They did the Daniel Jones contract practically from scratch in like 25 minutes. Relax. We’ll talk on Monday if not before.”
If the Giants and Barkley can not agree on a new deal before the July 17 deadline, the two sides must table all negotiations until after the season leaving the Pro Bowler to either sign the $10.1 million franchise tender or hold out.
