New York Giants reported offer to Saquon Barkley not in ballpark

The New York Giants and star running back Saquon Barkley are seemingly nowhere close to coming to an agreement on a long-term deal as the clock continues ticking on their July 17 deadline.

The Giants tried putting him on the one-year franchise tag deal for $10.09 million, but the former Penn State standout would not sign it.

Reports out of New York this week claim that the Giants have offered Barkley a deal that includes $19.5 million in guaranteed money, which is about $3 million shy of what they could guarantee him with back-to-back franchise tag deals totaling roughly $22 million.

“As one independent agent said about that $19M number, ‘No deal to be done that low,'” New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy shared on Thursday.

Last season for the Giants, Barkley had 1,312 rushing yards and an additional 338 receiving yards. He was on a $7.2 million extension off of his rookie contract, which was for four years, $31.19 million.

As a rookie, he had 1,307 rushing yards, 721 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns. It earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2018.

Despite his impressive resume, injuries have been a concern so far through his five years in the league. Even considering his injury history, it appears Barkley is just the latest victim of the league’s devaluation of the running back. Ball carriers have not been pulling in multi-year, eight-figure deals as they have in the past coming off of their rookie contracts.

Barkley threatens season-long holdout

At his youth football camp in Jersey City in June, Barkley clapped back at those who believe he is just being “greedy.”

“I’ve been public, I came out public and I’ve been open about it,” Barkley said. “I said, ‘I want to be a Giant for life.’ This is where I want to be, and at the end of the day, it’s all about respect. That’s really what it is.”

He also said last month that a season-long holdout is something he may consider.

“I think that’s a conversation,” Barkley said of a season-long holdout, via NFL.com. “Like you said, that’s a card I could play. That comes up in conversation if something don’t get done by July 17. … We got a little bit of time in between there. When that date comes up, then I’ll have to sit down with my team, sit down with my family and make decisions. See what we’re going to do. What’s the next game plan? What’s the next move?”

Although he hasn’t participated in team activities this offseason, the running back has maintained his peak fitness for the season. He recently posted a video of a workout that shows him squatting 585 pounds.