Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Giants GM Joe Schoen discussed the machinations that went into the team's massive deal with Daniel Jones, weighed in on the status of negotiations with Saquon Barkley, and said the team had opened talks with Dexter Lawrence.

By signing Jones instead of tagging him, Big Blue maintained the option to place the franchise tag on Barkley -- which they did.

However, the ideal scenario would be working out a long-term deal with Barkley, which is something New York is still trying to do.

"I'm gonna talk to Saquon today, I talked to him yesterday before we put the franchise tag on him," Schoen explained. "We've had deals out -- whether it's the bye week or recently -- and we're gonna continue to negotiate.

"We love Saquon. He's a good teammate, a captain, he's a hell of a player. Right now he's under the franchise tag. As we build the team and continue with our offseason plan, we'll do what's best for the team. We're still mapping that out."

As things currently stand, Barkley would receive roughly $10 million for the 2023-24 season under the tag.

Schoen also discussed the dynamic surrounding Barkley, since players who are tagged are often unhappy with that situation.

"I haven't talked in depth with Saquon yet," Schoen said. "I'm gonna talk with him today. That's negotiations. We had some deals out there and we tried to get a deal done with him and his representatives, and we couldn't.

"I think both parties knew at the end of the day that this was an option. If he's frustrated, I can understand some of that. We can be frustrated as well that we weren't able to get a deal done. But I love Saquon, he's a good player, he's gonna be a part of this team going forward, and we'll see where it goes from here."

GIANTS TALKING EXTENSION WITH LAWRENCE

Schoen said shortly after the season that the team would look to lock up Lawrence, and the two sides have since opened discussions.

"We've started talking with his representatives," Schoen noted. "He's on the fifth-year option. You can lower that number with a signing bonus."

Lawrence, 25, earned his first Pro Bowl selection last season and was a Second Team All-Pro.

He is owed $12.4 million in 2023-24 under the fifth-year option and is set to hit free agency after the season.