Saquon Barkley could hold out into 2023 without contract

New York Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley could hold out into week one if he does not get a desired long-term contract extension with the Giants.  The deadline is this coming Monday for franchise-tagged players to sign contract extensions with their teams.  If the two sides for any tagged player cannot reach an agreement, the player cannot be extended until after the season and would have to play the year on the tag.

For some players, playing on the tag doesn’t seem to be a huge deal, but for one position, it’s definitely a huge deal.  The running back market stinks, if we’re being honest.  The RB position has the shortest shelf life of any position in the NFL, and having an elite, highly-paid running back is far from what a team needs to win Super Bowls.

Just take a look at the prior Super Bowl champions.  They don’t invest a ton in the position.  Starting-caliber running backs can be found in the mid and late rounds of NFL Drafts, so there really is no reason for a team to invest a ton of resources into the spot.

However, on the flip side, the running backs themselves simply want the financial security and reward for being good players at the position.  Saquon Barkley is no different here.  He’s a talented RB who has struggled with injuries but did rebound in a big way in 2022.

The Giants are kind of stuck in an interesting situation too.  They mistakenly paid an overrated Daniel Jones $40 million a year and seem to have somewhat of a desire to lock up Barkley long-term.  However, the Giants are still retooling their roster and have holes at much more important positions than running back, so I think the last thing they should do is pay Barkley.

Sources also indicate that Saquon Barkley’s status for week one is in serious question as well, according to ESPN:

"Barkley and the Giants have until 4 p.m. ET Monday to finalize a deal. Otherwise, Barkley is not eligible to be re-signed until after the 2023 season.As the deadline nears, the two sides remain at a stalemate, sources told ESPN.Barkley finished fourth in the NFL with 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He also tied for the team lead with 57 receptions."

Would Barkley really hold out and lose money?  Well, Le’Veon Bell did it several years ago and was able to sign a long-term extension, but it didn’t work out well for him, to say the least.  I think the best thing is for Barkley to play on the tag or accept whatever offer the New York Giants have on the table.  He’ll get his big payday even if it’s not what he wants, but he has to realize that the running back position is simply not that valuable in today’s NFL.

Or, he could hold out and maybe even request a trade.  Trading Barkley might be a better solution for the two sides, as the Giants would get some draft capital and would not have to spend millions upon millions paying a running back.