Jeremy Fowler says there is 'some' optimism with Saquon Barkley contract talks

The contract talks surrounding New York Giant RB Saquon Barkley could put the franchise in a sticky situation here soon. With that said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says both sides are still in the midst of finding common ground.

Fowler updated the discussions around a new deal for Barkley on SportsCenter on Monday. He said there hasn’t been much traction but, at the moment, there remains “some sense of optimism” that they can meet somewhere in the middle within their conversations.

“Saquon Barkley? I keep checking on this until there’s a little bit of a lull in the action,” Fowler said. “A lot of people are on vacation this time of year so not much movement. But there is some sense of optimism among both sides that they can try to get to a sweet spot here.”

From there, Fowler reiterated where both sides stand in the debate. On Barkley’s side, the two-time Pro Bowler is looking for more guarantees as the next player for the Giants to pay. Then, from New York’s standpoint, they’re trying to find the right number in order to keep one of their franchise building blocks in place.

“Barkley wants a stronger guaranteed structure of his contract based on what he’s been offered in the past. But they have been talking with the Giants,” Fowler said. “The Giants consider him a potential face of the franchise-type player. Ownership really values him as a cornerstone-type guy, Daniel Jones would love to have him.”

“The Giants have paid a lot of other people this offseason from Daniel Jones to Dexter Lawrence. So Barkley figures to be the next in line,” said Fowler. “They’ve just got to bridge the gap.”

Barkley is coming out of his fifth season with his best numbers since he was AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. In 2022, he rushed for a career-high of 1,312 yards on a career-best 295 attempts. That led to 10 touchdowns last season. Add in 57 catches for 338 receptions yards and Barkley accounted for 1,650 yards from scrimmage last year, the second most of his career.

Barkley could very well decide to hold out if this dialogue isn’t smoothed out over the course of this month. That’s why, based on Fowler’s update, both sides are continuing to work on making up ground before they ever have to reach that point.

Barkley squats 585 pounds with ease during offseason workout

New York Giants fans are worried about Saquon Barkley and whether he’ll reach a new deal before training camp. However, there should be no concern about whether the running back is keeping in shape as sides negotiate his contract.

This, NFL fans, is a video of a player in perfect shape. Saquon Barkley posted a video of a recent workout that shows him squatting 585 pounds. The NFL also shared the video on its official account, referring to Barkley as “SaQuads.”

585 is light work for SaQuads. 💪

📹: via @saquon pic.twitter.com/zN9xqZ7gdt

— NFL (@NFL) June 29, 2023