NFL rivals show Giants what to do with Barkley ahead of franchise deadline
News that Evan Engram has signed a new deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars will have no doubt reached the ears of the New York Giants and Saquon Barkley.
The Giants handed Barkley a franchise tag earlier in the off-season, of which he is yet to sign. The two parties have been in negotiations, but as things stand no agreement has been reached.
The running-back was reported to be unhappy at being given the $10.1 million (£7.7m) tag. Players have until 9pm BST (4pm ET) on July 17 to sign the franchise tag contract, and one player already has.
On Sunday it was announced that Engram had reached an agreement with the Jaguars on a three-year deal. The news came a little over 24 hours before the deadline on Monday evening.
Engram has signed a contract worth $41 million (£31m), according to ESPN. Engram will receive $24 million (£18.3m) fully guaranteed, after being handed a $11.3 million (£8.6m) franchise tag.
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The news will mean that Barkley is now one of only three players handed a franchise tag yet to sign a contract. And the Giants will know they will have to pay up if they want to keep the running back given his demands and what the Giants have done.
In total there were four NFL players, including Barkley, who were handed franchise tags this off-season. The other three were Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard and Jaguars tight end Engram.
The franchise tag is designed for teams to keep their best players while in contract negotiations. If players do not sign the tag before the deadline, then they are technically not under contract and would not be fined for skipping practice or games, but would miss out on the tag’s guaranteed salary.
Saquon Barkley has until 9pm BST to sign his franchise tag with the New York Giants (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)In June, Barkley spoke honestly about the negotiations and how he felt at being handed a franchise tag. The Giants running back enjoyed an impressive 2022 season, and had hopes that a deal could be agreed before the deadline.
When asked by ESPN on June 12 about his thoughts on signing a deal with the Giants, he replied: "I don't know. I don't know”. Barkley added: "I think they're open to talking. I'm open to talking.
"I think at the end of the day, if you really break it down and look at it as a whole, there is no rush. There is still time on the table to get to July 17. July 17 is not tomorrow. It's not in a week. That is how I look at it.
“Maybe that is the naïve way to look at it, I could be completely wrong. But for me, that's how I look at it. I could be completely wrong. Hopefully. I trust in the Giants that we could get something done."
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