Not much has changed in New York with regards to the contract of veteran running back Saquon Barkley after all the hoopla of the previous offseason. With a one-year, $10.10MM band-aid, the Giants were able to avoid too much problems, but now that the year has passed, the two sides are in a similar limbo.
Last year, a coalition was formed to look into remedies as a growing number of running backs in the league were increasingly concerned about their value as a position group. Talk of trade demands and holdout threats grew when Barkley and the Giants, one of many RB-team combinations dealing with this valuation issue, came to light. Although the team’s temporary solution appeared to put an end to those rumors, it’s difficult to pretend that things were never that terrible.
Barkley insisted late in the season that he wanted to finish his career with the Giants. The Giants remained silent and committed to at least attempting to make amends with Barkley in the long run, even in the face of many trade inquiries during a 2-8 start to the season. Barkley and New York were both making all the appropriate noises, suggesting that they were trying to work out an extension.
A few months later, though, Barkley acknowledged that, in spite of his insistence on saying New York was his ideal location, he would actually rather start over somewhere new. Maybe it’s the impasse that the two parties can’t seem to escape, even after Jonathan Taylor and the Colts agreed to a new, three-year, $42 million contract in considerably more difficult circumstances. After all four running backs—Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Barkley, and Taylor—who were at the center of the summer valuation controversy missed time this season due to injuries, a new contract might be even more difficult to negotiate.
In any case, Barkley and the Giants will keep trying to find a solution. After the season ended, general manager Joe Schoen allegedly had a quick meeting with Barkley. Connor Hughes of SNY reports that Schoen also had plans to meet with Barkley’s representative at the NFL Scouting Combine at the beginning of the month. It will be intriguing to observe how this offseason brings about changes.
