Saquon Barkley’s future with the New York Giants had been in doubt after player and franchise had failed to agree a long-term extension before a July 17 deadline; the deal was agreed on the day players reported to training camp and a day before they started practice for the 2023 season
Last Updated: 25/07/23 3:07pm
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The best plays so far from New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley in the 2022 NFL season
The best plays so far from New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley in the 2022 NFL season
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth up to $11m (£8.5m) and will report to training camp, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
Per reports, the deal includes a $2m signing bonus but does not include a “no franchise tag” provision. Therefore, the Giants can tag the 26-year-old again after this season.
The Giants initially placed the franchise tag on Barkley, which was worth $10.091m for running backs in 2023. The sides did not come to terms on a long-term deal by the July 17 deadline, leaving a one-year pact as the only option.
The deal, which adds $909,000 in incentives to the $10.1m Barkley will earn playing under the franchise tag, came on the day players reported to training camp in New Jersey and a day before they started practice for the 2023 season.
The Giants and Barkley cannot discuss a new contract again until the end of this season.
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Watch Saquon Barkley show off his impressive reaction skills in the dodgeball showdown at the Pro Bowl
This signing avoids a potential distraction in training camp, with the previous impasse having meant Barkley would not have been able to attend, with there even having been speculation that he could miss some of the season.
Barkley, who was not happy being tagged, ran for a career-best 1,312 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season in helping the Giants (9-7-1) make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He also shared the team lead in receptions with 57 in his second Pro Bowl season.
The $11m salary puts Barkley among the NFL’s highest-paid running backs. San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($16m) New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara ($15m), Tennessee’s Derrick Henry ($12.5m) and Cleveland’s Nick Chubb ($12.2m) are the top four earners among running backs in average annual salary.
Barkley’s injury history was a concern during negotiations. He was spectacular as a rookie out of Penn State, rushing for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 91 passes for 721 yards and four more TDs.
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Saquon Barkley put the New York Giants up in the fourth quarter with a powerful run through the Minnesota Vikings defensive line
An ankle injury caused him to miss three games in 2019. The devastating injury was a season-ending torn ACL in the second game of the 2020 season, and he wasn’t the same player coming off the injury in 2021, rushing for 593 yards. He returned to form in 2022.
Barkley was one of six players franchised after last season. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson got a five-year, $260m contract. Washington defensive lineman Daron Payne got $90m over four years and Jacksonville tight end and former Giants player Evan Engram received $41.25m in a three-year deal.
Barkley and fellow running backs Josh Jacobs of Las Vegas and Tony Pollard of Dallas didn’t get deals in a market where the value of running back has fallen dramatically. Pollard signed his tender offer, but Jacobs did not and as a result, his future with the team remains uncertain.
