Did the Giants try to trade Saquon Barkley?

Pro Football Talk reported Tuesday that the New York Giants tried to trade running back Saquon Barkley after placing the franchise tag on him in the spring “at the request of Barkley’s representation.”

PFT’s Mike Florio wrote that “Per multiple sources, the Giants called a dozen teams in an effort to find a potential trade partner, back in the March/April time frame.”

Florio also added this:

“The Giants obviously found no takers. It’s unclear what they wanted. Barkley was trying to get, we’re told, a contract that pays something in the range of $15 million to $16 million per year.”

Other reports have indicated those trade reports are incorrect.

Art Stapleton reported that two sources denied that the Giants tried to trade Barkley this offseason.

A story in NJ.com also contradicted the Florio report. Bob Brookover wrote:

Multiple sources, however, disputed Florio’s story.

One source said the Giants considered the idea of trading Barkley, but never actively pursued doing so.

The Florio story definitely contradicts what Giants co-owner John Mara said during the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix in late March.

“I don’t want to trade him,” Mara said at the time. “We’re not looking to trade him. We’re not shopping him. And I’d be very surprised if we made that decision.”

Barkley didn’t like the trade report. If you don’t know, the cap emoji is slang for “lying.”

All we know for certain is that Barkley has signed and will be at training camp on Wednesday.