New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is angling for a new contract that will pay him among the top players at his position.
Barkley is currently without a valid contract as the franchise tag deadline approaches (July 17). If he can’t come to an agreement with the Giants on a long-term deal by the 17th, he will likely have to play under the franchise tag tender salary of $10.1 million this year.
The Giants aren’t likely to budge, as they don’t really have to. Their last offer wasn’t too far north of the tag price and Barkley and his reps rejected that offer.
Big Blue might think that the $10.1 million is a fair amount for Barkley as market values for running backs have receded this offseason.
So, where does Barkley stand among the top-paid backs in the league? The franchise tender salary of $10.1 million would make Barkley the seventh-highest paid back in the NFL.
That sounds about right as Barkley came in seventh in Pro Football Network’s latest rankings of the NFL’s top running backs for the upcoming season.
With health on his side again, Barkley, still only 25, thrived in a new offensive scheme. He matched his previous career high with 352 touches, and he looked reborn under Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka. Barkley ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,312 rushing yards and reached the end zone 10 times.
Barkley has been working out incessantly away from the team this summer and it sure appears as if he plans on playing this year. We will know over the next week which path he and the Giants will take in 2023.
