Giants Country

Saquon Barkley Takes Unusual Step to End Contract Impasse with Giants

Barkley is looking to get a deal done with the Giants done before the July 17 deadline.
Patricia Traina|
Saquon Barkley Takes Unusual Step to End Contract Impasse with Giants
Saquon Barkley Takes Unusual Step to End Contract Impasse with Giants

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New York Giants

With less than four days remaining until the July 17 deadline for the New York Giants and franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley to strike a new long-term deal, Barkley has taken a rather unusual step in the hopes of getting the talks across the finish line.

As per NFLPA records, Barkley has added agent Ed Perry to his contract representation team, which already included Kim Miale. Miale is with Roc Nation Sports; Perry is with CAA, the agency that, up until recently, had repped Barkley's marketing interests while Roc Nation handled his football contract.

While it's not usual for a big-name player to have multiple agents representing him, it is when talking about agents from different agencies. But with Barkley and the Giants locked in an impasse and that contract deadline looming, the running back apparently felt it was time to make a move, which, per Pro Football Talk, was made around mid-June of this year.

In his public comments about his contract, Barkley has steadily insisted that he's not looking to reset the market at his position, but he is looking for a fair deal.

But while there have been reports of two rejected offers by Barkley said to have been worth $12.5 and $14 million per year, what isn't known, thanks to Barkley's insistence that negotiations be kept private, is length or guaranteed money, the more important elements in judging the fairness of a deal.

According to NFL.com, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Wednesday's NFL Total Access that Barkley and the Giants "are no closer on a deal and had not spoken in the days leading up to this week."

The Giants veterans are set to report to training camp on July 25. Barkley said he doesn't want to play on the franchise tag.

Update: The New York Post is reporting that the Giants' "best offer" to Barkley includes $19.5 million guaranteed, though the report doesn't indicate if that's fully guaranteed or guaranteed at signing. For any such deal to be consummated, the guaranteed money would almost certainly have to start at $22 million, the estimated total of the 2023 and 2024 franchise tags. 

Pro Football Talk has reported that the Giants have actually offered Barkley $26 million in the first two years of the deal, seemingly contradicting the Post's report. Obviously, the devil is in the details, but either way, it sounded like as of Friday, both sides remain no closer to resolving this issue with the window to do so rapidly closing.  

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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