Giants Country

NFL Network Clarifies Barkley Contract Talks

Again, it all comes down to July 17.

Patricia Traina

NFL Network Clarifies Barkley Contract Talks
NFL Network Clarifies Barkley Contract Talks /
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NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, who yesterday raised hopes that the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley had taken a significant step toward resolving their contract impasse, backtracked off that report on Wednesday, saying that he misspoke.

Rapoport initially reported that the Giants re-presented an earlier offer. In his latest report, he admitted to misspeaking and clarified where things stand.

"What I meant to say, what I should have said--I misspoke a little bit--is that the two sides have been negotiating, have been discussing. As far as an offer being on the table, it did not sound like quite yet--that was maybe a little premature. But they are discussing and are back in communication.

Rapoport's newest report aligns with what the Daily News reported, which is, "as of this moment," any talk of an offer being put back on the table "is not true."

(The original report is below.)

Might the contract impasse between the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley be coming to a happy ending after all by the July 17 deadline?

That could very well be, as according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Giants have put an offer previously made to Barkley, believed to be the one they made just before applying the franchise tag to him, back on the table (see the 0:48 mark in the video below). 

Rapoport notes that the two sides "have time" to get a long-term deal done-- July 17 being the specific deadline at which point, if no deal is reached, Barkley's options would be to play on the franchise tag or sit out the season.

The NFL insider also said that the two sides have had conversations, which Barkley believed was the case when he spoke to reporters Sunday at his youth football camp in Jersey City.

“I think they’re open to talking. I think I’m open to talking,” Barkley said. “But I think at the end of the day, when you break it down and look at it as a whole, it’s no rush. There’s no rush, we still have time on the table. July 17 is not tomorrow; it’s not in a week. That’s how I look at it.”

Rapoport wouldn't go so far as to predict whether a deal would be done by the deadline, but this news of the Giants putting a deal back on the table that they had previously withdrawn is encouraging news. The holdup with Barkley has reportedly been about the guaranteed money, the figure of which hasn't been made public by either side.

But it's probably safe to conclude that with roughly a month to go before the deadline, both sides are going to continue their give-and-take to where hopefully they'll come to a happy ending that will give Barkley the respect he feels he deserves and the Giants a happy player who will come in and continue being a part of what they have been building under head coach Brian Daboll.

As for any concerns about whether the contract tango might leave Barkley bitter if and when it is resolved, Daboll hasn't seemed too concerned about it.

"I think you build relationships with people in the business," he said last month when asked how to ensure there are no hard feelings once the business side of the game is taken care of.

"There's always a business sighted of things in this league, and again, those conversations will remain private, but the guys on the team that you have, everybody goes through it at some point, and you just build on relationships and keep discussions private between yourself and the players."

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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