Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been a busy man this offseason. Already he has executed a long-term deal with quarterback Daniel Jones, added pieces in free agency, made moves in the NFL Draft, and on Thursday made Dexter Lawrence one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL. What's next? It very well may be locking in his running back, Saquon Barkley, for the foreseeable future.
New York kept Barkley from hitting the open market by placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on him in early March. While that prevented the star back from leaving this offseason, the two sides are now looking to agree to a deal that keeps Barkley in-house beyond 2023. Schoen told "Good Morning Football" on Thursday that he did speak to Barkley's representatives to see "what the appetite" was to get a deal done and they both agreed to chat following the draft.
"Listen, Saquon is a very good football player, captain last year. He's a good locker room guy. I love him. We want him to be here," Schoen said, via NFL.com. "But you've got to have a deal where both parties are happy with where you end up. That's what we're going to try to work for and see if we can get something we can both agree on."
While Barkley is among the best players in the league at his position and a key piece to New York's offense, handing running backs lucrative long-term deals have been a risky bet for NFL teams in the past. That's not mentioning Barkley's prior injury history prompting an even more cautious approach.
New York reportedly tried to sign Barkley to a deal during the team's bye week last season but was unable to come to terms on a contract. The Giants were said to be offering a deal that would've paid Barkley $14 million per season, but the structure of the deal and the guaranteed money proved to be sticking points in the negotiations and it ultimately fell apart. The franchise tag will pay Barkley $10.091 million in 2023, but the back has yet to sign and is not planning to take part in the team's voluntary workouts this offseason.
The 26-year-old has spent his entire career with the Giants after the club selected him No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Penn State. Barkley is coming off a bounce-back season in 2022 where he was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career and set a career high in rushing yards.
