As Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ star running back, jogged out of the huddle during a team drill Wednesday at a training camp, the couple of hundred fans in attendance chanted his name at rhythmic rhythm.
He didn’t seem to react, just running around in his position in the backfield.
Their joy was shared by teammates who felt a measure of relief that Barkley still showed. After nearly a year of negotiations, the Giants and Barkley failed to reach a long-term agreement by the July 17 deadline, prompting speculation that Barkley could sit out part or all of training camp and the regular period of protest.
The stalemate was temporarily resolved on Tuesday, the first day the Giants veterans could report to camp, when the team signed Barkley to a one-year contract reportedly worth $11 million, along with a $2 million signing bonus. bonus. With more upfront money and incentives, the deal is a slight improvement on his prospects playing under the franchise tag, the average salary of the top five players at the player position. The tag would have paid him $10.09 million if Barkley hadn’t turned it down.
“It makes a difference when he’s out there,” Giants quarterback Daniel Jones said in a press conference. “He makes a difference with his game and how it feels and his leadership, his communication and carrying guys.”
Last season, the Giants’ astonishing 9-7-1 record and their first playoff berth since the 2016 season hinged heavily on their rushing attack: The team recorded the fourth-fastest NFL yards (led by Barkley’s 1,312) in 2022. The ground game allowed Jones to improve with play-action passes and efficient short throws after struggling with turnovers earlier in his career.
Jones was rewarded in March with a four-year contract extension that included $82 million in guaranteed money. Andrew Thomas, the offensive tackle who shields Jones well and creates holes for Barkley, signed a five-year deal on Wednesday with a reported $65 million in guaranteed money.
But the future of Barkley, who accounted for 27.7 percent of the team’s yards from scrimmage last season, remains unresolved.
“We got to a landing spot and they got to a landing spot and we couldn’t bridge the gap,” General Manager Joe Schoen said Wednesday.
Schoen added: “He’s a very good player. He’s a good teammate. He’s a guy that we tried very hard and took a long time to get a deal done but we’re a better football team with Saquon here to start training camp.
Despite the loss of a long-term deal, Barkley’s availability through at least the 2023 season allows the Giants to build on the success they built last year, in Coach Brian Daboll’s first season and without No. 1 who received a threat. The team in March traded a third-round draft pick for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who made a juggling catch between two defenders for a touchdown on Wednesday, flashing his agility and his effectiveness. near the goal line.
The Giants also selected receiver Jalin Hyatt in the third round of the 2023 draft, hoping the additions of him and Waller will give Jones more receiving options and enable the offense to attack downfield more. always.
“His job is to make good decisions and lead the team to score points regardless of a new contract or anything like that,” Daboll said of Jones in a news conference. “That’s his job. That’s why he needs to focus on continuous improvement like everyone else does. “
A more diverse passing game should also create easier avenues for Barkley, who will again be angling for a long-term deal from the Giants or another suitor.
If Barkley performs well this season, the Giants could offer him a longer deal or offer him the franchise tag again, which Barkley will almost certainly turn down. The team could also let him walk as an unrestricted free agent, opening the possibility that he could play for a team other than the Giants, who drafted him No. 2 overall pick in 2018.
Barkley, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, played in 16 regular season games in the 2022 season, a significant improvement after he missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. had ankle and knee injuries after winning offensive rookie of the year. His contract gridlock is consistent with a league-wide trend: a depressed appetite for high-paid running backs as offenses shift to a rusher-by-committee approach.
Barkley added Ed Perry of the Creative Arts Agency to his negotiation team along with Kim Miale of Roc Nation, his agent since his rookie year, to help with the Giants’ contracts.
Barkley did not speak to the news media Wednesday, but spent time after practice taking pictures with fans and signing autographs in an area shaded by the sun.
Jones said he saw no change in Barkley’s behavior despite the thorny negotiations.
“He’s excited to be here,” Jones said. “He came to work. He’s the same leader, the same presence in the locker room and who he is and how important the team is to him. He understands his role in this, and how he affects other men.