New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley may have been present during the workouts quarterback Daniel Jones organized in Arizona, but he will not be present when the team begins their offseason program on Monday.
Kim Jones of Newsday reports that Barkley will not sign his franchise tender in time and therefore will not be eligible to participate.
I’m told Saquon Barkley will not be signing the franchise tag & therefore will not be eligible to participate when the #NYG offseason program begins Monday. More to come on @NewsdaySports.
— Kim Jones (@KimJonesSports) April 12, 2023
This is likely just the beginning of a standoff between Barkley and the Giants.
Barkley has made it clear he’s not happy about receiving the franchise tag and would like a long-term deal in the range of $16 million per season. The Giants had previously offered around $12 million annually but have since pulled all offers once the running back market fizzled in free agency.
“There’s no outstanding offer right now,” general manager Joe Schoen told reporters at the NFL owners meetings.
“Once we put the franchise tag on him, we stepped back. We knew that throughout the negotiation that if there was a time that we can’t come to an agreement, we’re going to go to the franchise tag. And that’s what we did.”
The Giants would still like to sign Barkley long-term and believe that would send a positive message to the locker room, but the two sides remain quite a distance apart.
For now, the Giants and Schoen intend on letting Barkley play out the season on the franchise tag unless his contractual demands come down. If and when they do, talks are expected to resume.
Short on that, it’s likely Barkley’s holdout will continue into the summer.
