EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants had conversations with running back Saquon Barkley‘s representatives last week. They’ll “reconvene” now that the draft is over to see if there is a deal that makes sense for both sides at this point.
An unhappy Barkley has not signed his franchise tag and therefore is not participating in the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program. The two sides were not able to reach agreement on a new long-term deal prior to the tag deadline last month.
General manager Joe Schoen and the Giants removed any of the previous offers from the table at that point. They might be motivated to return to the negotiating table now that the draft is over.
“Yeah, we’ll talk this coming week now that the draft is over, kind of reconvene, see if [a new offer] makes sense or not,” Schoen said. “Have dialogue now that the draft is over.”
The Giants made an offer to Barkley during their bye week last year. They reignited negotiations after the season, just weeks before the running back market crashed in free agency.
Sources have said the Giants offered a deal that was worth up to $14 million per season for their top offensive playmaker last season. But the structure and guaranteed money were not enough to get a deal done.
Schoen spent much of the early part of the offseason trying to get quarterback Daniel Jones under contract. The two sides reached an agreement just minutes before the tag deadline on a four-year, $160 million deal.
It ultimately led to Barkley getting tagged minutes later. Negotiations were put on hold, with the possibility they would reengage after the draft.
Now, that seems likely to happen.
“Yeah, we’ll have conversations with him,” Schoen said. “We had conversations last week.”
Schoen did not say a new deal was offered during those most recent talks. But it seems to at least be a step in the right direction.
The Giants have said they want Barkley around long term. They want him to be a Giant for life.
“You just go through these negotiations with your better players. It’s not the first time we’ve been through it,” co-owner John Mara said last month. “I’m still hopeful at some point we’ll be able to get something done.”
Barkley, 26, finished fourth in the NFL with 1,312 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. He also was tied for the team lead with 57 receptions.
The risk with Barkley comes with his injury history. He has dealt with multiple ankle problems that forced him to miss games and sat out most of the 2020 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
This past season was the first time in four years that Barkley did not miss a game because of injury.