New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has revealed that he has held talks with contract rebel Saquon Barkley after the running back refused to sign a franchise tag, which forced him to miss out on the NFL franchise’s offseason program, which started on Monday.
Barkley, 26, has yet to sign the $10.1million (£8.1m) franchise tag the Giants placed on him after inking quarterback Daniel Jones to a bumper new deal. The two-time Pro Bowler has no intention of signing the tag either, opening up the possibility of skipping the entire spring, mandatory minicamp and potentially training camp.
The Giants are also unable to fine Barkley as he did not sign the franchise tag. Barkley’s position is unlikely to change unless there is an agreement on a lucrative long-term deal that pays him among the top running backs in the NFL.
Giants head coach Daboll has opened up on Barkley’s situation, revealing that he has held private conversations with the star player. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence also finds himself in a similar boat to Barkley and is in the market for a contract extension.
“I’ve talked to both of those players. I’ll leave those conversations private,” Daboll said of Barkley and Lawrence. “It’s April 17th. We’ve got a long way to go here. We’ll just take it day by day.”
Barkley has received backing from Giants team-mate Daniel Jones, who was handed a massive new contract. In fact, Jones has offered his support to “great friend” Barkley. “There’s a business side to all of this,” Jones said. “I’ll support him through it all.”
The Giants would like Barkley to stick around long-term, as made crystal clear by co-owner John Mara. “You just go through these negotiations with your better players,” Mara said last month.
“It's not the first time we've been through it. I'm still hopeful at some point we'll be able to get something done."
Despite a drop off in rushing yards, Barkley is coming off the back of one of his best seasons to date in the league. He had 1,650 yards from scrimmage and rushed for 10 touchdowns to earn his second Pro Bowl selection.
