It is what it is! Saquon Barkley ready to DITCH the Giants after failing to bag a long term co

Publish date: 2024-07-07

The New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley failed to reach a middle ground on a long-term contract extension before the deadline on Monday. Now, the Pro Bowler could either sit out the entire 2023 season or play under the franchise tag, worth approximately $10 million for the running backs.

Amidst this situation, Barkley tweeted out, “It is what it is” after failing to secure the long-term deal. Since he is unsigned, Barkley will not be fined if he missed the Giants’ training camp, which is scheduled to start on July 25. He would, however, start to lose money if he decided to sit out the 2023 season and not play on the franchise tag.

The last running back to sit out an entire season was the Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell, who ended up regretting his decision. Barkley and the Giants hadn’t been on the same page since the beginning of their negotiations. According to multiple reports, the New York-based football team offered Barkley a multi-year deal worth $14 million per season earlier this year.

But Barkley rejected that offer due to less guaranteed money. The Giants then increased the guaranteed money but compensated for it by decreasing the annual average salary to $11 million per multiple reports. And now, the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term deal has officially ended and Barkley has a decision to make whether or not to take the field in the upcoming season.

The Giants running back just had his career-best season as he registered 1,312 rushing yards in the 2022 regular season. If the 26-year-old decides to sit out the 2023 season, it would be a massive loss for the Giants.

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Star RBs including Saquon Barkley are struggling to find a long-term deal

The Giants running back Barkley is not the only one who failed to secure a long-term deal. Six players were franchise tagged by their teams back in March and only three among them have signed a long-term deal.

Barkley, the Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard, and the Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs failed to bag a contract extension. Pollard, however, has already signed his franchise tag worth $10.091 million.

Barkley, Pollard, and Jacobs are all top running backs in the league. In fact, Jacobs led the league in rushing yards in the 2022 season with the Raiders. But still, he couldn’t secure a multi-year deal. Jacobs’ failure to sign a long-term deal has raised a lot of questions about the future of running backs in the NFL.

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