Saquon Barkley contract update: Barkley, Giants heading into home stretch

Time is beginning to run short for Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants to reach a long-term deal. The deadline for that to happen is July 17, just 11 days away.

CBS Sports salary cap analyst and former sports agent Joel Corry on Wednesday called the negotiations between Barkley and the Giants the “most acrimonious” of any franchise player negotiation. On the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast in mid-May, Corry said the Giants pulling their contract offer to Barkley after putting the franchise tag on him was an “unusual step.” He repeated that assertion on Wednesday.

The two sides re-started talks about a long-term deal several weeks ago, though there have been no reports of a new offer to Barkley having formally been presented to Barkley.

Corry suggested that the Giants and Barkley could reach a deal based on the four-year, $50 million contract Derrick Henry signed with the Tennessee Titans after being tagged in 2020. Henry’s deal had $25.5 million fully guaranteed. In the Henry contract, there is no guaranteed salary after the first two seasons. Per Over The Cap, the Titans could cut Henry this year, the final year of that deal, with just $5.367 million in dead cap and $11 million in cap savings.

Corry said “Barkley could reasonably expect around $27 million to be fully guaranteed in a four-year deal despite the depressed state of the running back market.”

At Big Blue View, I have suggested a three-year, $39 million contract with the first two years, totaling $26 million, fully guaranteed. Rivka Boord offered sample three-year, $39 million and four-year, $52 million contract structures.

There was a recent report that there was “some level of optimism” that a deal would get done. In his public comments on the negotiations, Barkley frankly said he didn’t know if a deal would get done. If that doesn’t happen, Barkley would have to play on the $10.091 million franchise tag, unless he chooses to sit out.

In mid-June, 72% of Giants fans who voted in out ‘SB Nation Reacts’ poll believed a long-term deal would be reached.

Are you still optimistic, Giants fans?