Heading into the offseason, the Giants made it clear that they wanted to retain running back Saquon Barkley and continue to build the offense around him.
But while Big Blue was able to come to an agreement with quarterback Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160 million deal, they weren’t quite on the same page when it came to Barkley’s value, leading to the team placing the franchise tag on the former second overall pick.
The franchise tag can often be a difficult pill for players to swallow, especially when the desire is to secure a long-term deal. So, when head coach Brian Daboll was asked at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday if he thought Barkley’s contract situation could result in the running back skipping the start of the team’s offseason program in mid-April, he didn’t have a clear answer.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’d say that would be a good question for Saquon,” Daboll said.
Daboll said he’s been in contact with Barkley this offseason, having most recently texted with him two weeks ago. The head coach wouldn’t get into how Barkley feels about the franchise tag, and also said he’s not thinking about whether or not Barkley’s contract situation could linger as long as this summer’s training camp.
“My focus is on today. We’ll see how it goes,” Daboll said. “We’ll go day-by-day, and whatever situation comes up, we’ll handle it.”
Giants co-owner John Mara said on Monday that he wants Barkley to be a Giant “for his entire career,” but general manager Joe Schoen explained that the team does not currently have an outstanding long-term offer on the table for Barkley, saying the Giants pulled back their offer once they tagged him.
Barkley is obviously a huge piece of what the Giants did on offense in Daboll’s first season, as he totaled 1,650 yards from scrimmage with 10 touchdowns, but the reigning Coach of the Year said the success on offense will always come down to a collective group effort.
“I think Saquon’s a good player for us,” he said. “I think Daniel’s a good player for us. Some of the pieces that we added – again, to me it’s about how the team comes together. Not just one guy, not just two guys, but collectively, just speaking offensively, as a group of offensive players.”