Saquon Barkley wants his long-term deal and is willing to go through drastic measures to get it.
Barkley and the New York Giants front office have until Monday to sign an extension beyond 2023. Otherwise, Barkley must sign the franchise tag in order to play this season. As of right now, it does not appear, Barkley, has any intention of doing that.
Per ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the star running back is considering sitting out New York’s Week 1 opener against the Dallas Cowboys as his availability is “in serious question” without an extension.
“The takeaway from this is that if there is no deal by Monday … we won’t see Saquon Barkley at training camp or likely until some time in September or later,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan wrote.”
Barkley and the Giants have until 4 p.m. ET Monday to finalize a deal. If the deadline passes, Barkley can not sign a long-term deal until after the 2023 season.
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The two sides remain at a stalemate.
The last player to sit out an entire season was running back Le’Veon Bell in 2018. That decision did not work out for him at all.
Barkley had 1,312 rushing yards, 338 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns last season. It was the first time he stayed healthy for the entire season since his rookie year in 2018.
As we’ve seen around the league, running backs have become a devalued position with not many of them being able to secure huge contracts unless they are truly dynamic.
