New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley made it known after the regular season ended he hoped general manager Joe Schoen would “get it over with” if the team planned to retain his rights via the franchise tag for a second consecutive year.
Schoen spoke with reporters at the site of the Senior Bowl on Tuesday and seemed in no rush to make such a call.
According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Schoen said he and Barkley had a “good conversation” on Jan. 12.
“He was getting ready to go to Africa for a Super Bowl commercial,” Schoen added about the 26-year-old set to hit free agency in March. “The plan is to circle up with his representatives when we get to the combine.”
Per Dan Salomone of the Giants’ website, the combine is scheduled to run from Feb. 27 through March 4. The deadline for teams to use their franchise tags is March 5.
Barkley has played only for the Giants since they made him the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, but he admitted in a recent interview he can see himself “in another uniform.” While he didn’t hide the fact last offseason that he was upset he didn’t receive a long-term contract, he ultimately signed an adjusted one-year tag to report to training camp on time.
Tagging Barkley a second time would cost the Giants roughly $12.1M for 2024 unless the two sides agreed to a contract before the summer deadline for such deals. The team captain is popular inside the locker room and among fans, and he caused no problems for Schoen or head coach Brian Daboll last year once he showed up for work. It’s unknown if Barkley would stay away from the Giants through the start of this coming August to protest a second franchise tag.
Of course, Schoen could simply put the matter to bed by letting Barkley test free agency at a time when veteran running backs have been devalued by clubs.
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