NFL Rumors: Saquon Barkley is a certified madman, OBJ’s contract incentives, more
By Kristen Wong
NFL Rumors: Saquon Barkley is living in la-la land with his contract desires
The New York Giants can’t have nice things. Why not? Because players like Saquon Barkley want too much.
Per recent reports, Barkley is prepared to sit out for his team’s offseason program and does not want to sign his franchise tag. The Giants placed the exclusive franchise tag on the star running back in March having extended Daniel Jones at the last minute, but Barkley has made it known he doesn’t want to play on the tag.
Instead, sources say he’s looking for a deal in the range of $14 million annually.
Is he….insane?
For those saying you can’t fault Barkley for securing his financial future, yes, yes you can.
His asking price would make him the highest-paid running back in the market in annual value, surpassing Christian McCaffery’s $12 million. Barkley ranks as one of the best backs in the league (when healthy) and warrants a sizable contract, yet what he’s doing strays far from the status quo.
Just look at Packers’ Aaron Jones, who agreed to take a pay cut and will make $11 million in 2023. He was set to make $16 million, but after a contract restructure, he took one for the team and gave Green Bay more cap space to build a competitive roster.
Meanwhile in New York, Barkley has already turned down the Giants’ offer of roughly $12 million per year.
That ego-padding, insatiable desire is the kind of thing that permanently sours relationships between players and front offices, and no one would be surprised to see Barkley leave after the 2023 season. If he wanted to get paid more, he should have picked a different position.