Getty Saquon Barkley provided an update on his contract demands and a possible holdout.
Saquon Barkley could still holdout to get his next contract with the New York Giants, but the Pro Bowl running back hopes it won’t come to that. Instead, Barkley wants to be “compensated respectfully,” per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Giants placed the franchise tag on Barkley earlier this offseason after he set career-highs for rushing attempts and yards in 2022. Those contributions helped Big Blue return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and have Barkley prepared to play a waiting game for his next deal.
Barkley has put a circle around July 17 as the deadline for finalizing a long-term deal, even if it means sitting out this season, according to Schefter’s colleague Jordan Raanan: “That comes up in the conversation if something doesn’t get done by July 17.”
The Giants can’t afford to risk Barkley holding out once the real action begins. Not when he remains the catalyst for head coach Brian Daboll’s offense, even after general manager Joe Schoen gave quarterback Daniel Jones several new receivers.
Jones getting a new contract ahead of Barkley has created an unwanted distraction for a team looking to build on last season’s surprise turnaround.
Giants Need ‘Frustrated’ Saquon Barkley on Board
Jones was always the more likely to get paid for the long term because he plays football’s most important position. Running backs are not valued anywhere close to QBs, although Barkley remains one of the most dynamic ground-based playmakers in the NFL.
He’s aware of his importance, but Barkley doesn’t want to be seen as “greedy,” per Raanan: “Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged. To sit here and say I was frustrated, I was mad, I was upset, what really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out and how misleading they were and how untruthful they were.”
Barkley’s main frustration concerns how the Giants’ contract offers have been reported, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Specifically, “Barkley believes he has been painted in an unfavorable light” because of a lack of reporting about how those offers were structured.
The structure of the tag is simple enough. Barkley will earn $10.091 million this season, but that’s well below what some of the league’s highest-paid backs earn annually. Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans earns an average salary of $12.5 million, per Spotrac.com, while San Francisco 49ers’ star Christian McCaffrey tops the charts with an annual salary of over $16 million.
Barkley is at least as valuable to the Giants as Run CMC is to the 49ers. Barkley’s value was proved by 295 carries for 1,312 yards and tying for the team lead with 57 receptions.
The Giants rode Barkley all the way to a 10-win season, starting in Week 1 against the Titans, per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka were smart enough to maintain a high workload for Barkley. It made things easier for Jones, who took advantage of the attention paid to Barkley to enjoy a banner season and ultimately be rewarded ahead of his teammate.
Giants Made Right Contract Decision
The decision to pay jones ahead of Barkley will remain a controversial one, but the Giants just about got it right. Schoen could hardly do any different when success in the NFL is so closely aligned with even competent quarterback play.
Jones was more than competent in 2022, throwing for a career-best 3,205 yards. No. 8 was particularly effective on RPOs, amassing 111 yards through the air, while compiling 652 off of play action, according to Pro Football Reference.
The threat of Barkley running was a major factor in the success of these play designs, but Jones proved his worth in obvious passing situations during the business end of the season. He posted a 114.1 rating while throwing for over 300 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, including this touchdown strike to Isaiah Hodgins against eight-time Pro-Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson.
The Giants have bet big on Jones producing more throws like this in 2023. It’s why they gave him a four-year, $160-million contract to go with trading for Pro-Bowl tight end Darren Waller, signing Parris Campbell in free agency and selecting Jalin Hyatt in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Jones has the weapons he needs to become a more accomplished and productive passer, but he’ll still suffer without Barkley. The Giants don’t have another game-breaker in the running game, even after bringing Matt Breida back in free agency and having high hopes for potential draft steal Eric Gray.
Although they’ve started laying the groundwork for life without Barkley, the Giants aren’t there yet. It leaves Schoen facing a tricky decision armed with just $4,634,387 left under this year’s salary cap.
