Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants remain at an impasse after a key deadline.
The two-time Pro Bowl running back and team did not come to an agreement by Monday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players to reach a multiyear contract, a person with knowledge of the matter told Art Stapleton of the USA TODAY Network. The person spoke on condition of the anonymity due to sensitivity of the negotiations.
Barkley seemed to confirm the news on Twitter on Monday afternoon by writing, “It is what it is.”
Barkley now is not eligible to be re-signed until after the 2023 NFL regular season. His franchise tender, which he has not signed, would pay him $10.1 million for this season.
While unsigned, Barkley has remained away from the team this offseason, missing organized team activities and minicamp. He could opt to stay out of training camp and still receive his full salary if he signs his tender before the start of the regular season.
Barkley told ESPN in June that sitting out the season is a matter that “comes up in the conversation if something doesn’t get done by July 17.” ESPN reported last week that the running back’s availability for Week 1’s contest against the Dallas Cowboys would be in “serious jeopardy” without a long-term deal.
Barkley, 26, finished fourth in the NFL in rushing last season with a career-high 1,312 yards. The No. 2 overall pick in 2018 and former Offensive Rookie of the Year played a central role in the Giants’ resurgence, accounting for 27.7% of the team’s scrimmage yards as New York netted its first winning season and playoff berth since 2016.
At the franchise tag deadline in March, however, the team reached a four-year, $160 million deal with quarterback Daniel Jones and issued the tag to Barkley.
“Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged,” Barkley said at his AMPT football camp in June, according to ESPN. “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, how misleading they were and how untruthful they were.
“I feel it was trying to paint a narrative of me, a picture of me, that is not even true. Not even close to being the truth.”
Barkley’s standoff comes at a point of widespread devaluation in the running back market. Entering Monday, the only two other players still on the franchise tag were fellow ball carriers in Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys. Neither one received a long-term deal before the deadline.
“I see (the running back market). I’m aware of that,” Barkley told ESPN in June. “I feel like I’m more than that. I feel we finally got to a place where we’re a successful team. We got to start winning games, and I was a big part of that.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.
