Giants GM Joe Schoen 'ecstatic' to have Saquon Barkley in camp after long-term contract negotiation stalled
When the deadline for franchise tagged players to negotiate long-term deals came and went last Monday, the philosophy for Giants general manager Joe Schoen quickly shifted. Months of conversations about how to keep Saquon Barkley a Giant for life quickly turned into “How do we get Saquon Barkley here for the start of training camp?”
“My focus was getting him here on Day 1, and he’s here on Day 1,” Schoen said on Wednesday. “Again, we’re fired up about it and can’t wait to get on the field.”
In a surprising move, the Giants and Barkley agreed on a revised version of the franchise tag on Tuesday morning, one that includes performance incentives and a $2 million signing bonus up front.
It may not have been the desired outcome of a negotiation process that started nearly a year ago, but it ensured that the superstar running back wouldn’t miss any time in training camp or, more importantly, in the regular season.
“We engaged in negotiations over a nine-and-a-half-month period and at the end of the day couldn’t come to an agreement on a longer-term deal, but we circled back on Monday and fortunately were able to come to an agreement with altering the franchise tag a little bit to get him to camp,” Schoen explained. “We’re ecstatic, fired up that Saquon is going to be here for the start of camp.”
“At the end of the day, you try to do what’s best for both parties,” Schoen later added. “In this situation we weren’t able to come to an agreement, and that’s okay. I’ve been in this 23 years, and sometimes deals get done and sometimes they don’t.”
Barkley found himself looking for a new deal at a time when the running back market around the league is perhaps at an all-time low. SNY’s Connor Hughes has previously reported that the Giants were willing to go into the $12.5-13 million annual range for a Barkley contract, while the Penn state product wanted to be at the $16 million per year number that San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey earns.
Ultimately, the two sides just couldn’t find a middle ground.
“We came to kind of a landing spot and they came to a landing spot, and we couldn’t bridge the gap,” said Schoen. “Like I said, that’s okay. Saquon has to do what’s best for him and his family, and I respect the hell out of Saquon. I’m never going to tell somebody to do something that they don’t think is right. Again, I respect Saquon, I admire him, I’m glad he’s here.”
Schoen was asked if these stalled negotiations might have any impact on Barkley’s future with the club, as well as whether or not the Giants would consider tagging Barkley again next season. The GM answered by saying it’s only the first day of training camp, but it’s certainly a boost to have Barkley on the field with his teammates to get things started.
“It means a lot. He’s a very good player, he’s a good teammate. He’s someone that we tried hard and long to get a deal done with,” Schoen said. “Again, we’re a better team with Saquon here to start training camp.”
