Money is the root to everything, it is what makes society function on a daily basis and all jobs have different values, even in professional sports.
“You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won't show up. I won't play a down.”
With just several days remaining until New York Giants’ veteran players are slated for a report to training camp on July 25th. It seems very possible one of the biggest players will not be there, that player is Saquon Barkley.
It was speculated that if the New York Giants kept QB1 Daniel Jones then Barkley would have no spot money-wise on the team. It looks to be that way.
New York franchise tagged the Running-back in March for $10M, but a contract still remains ink-less. The two sides could still negotiate a one-year contract and once again the franchise tag is a possibility for the 2023/24 offseason. It seems that Barkley wants a longer deal with a bigger cash flow.
The average salary for a RB is $1.8M, so the franchise tag would put Barkley well above league average for the year.
Barkley has hinted at missing games, but that won't play a huge factor to the Giants’ success. The running back position is the most replaceable position in sports, with teams carrying three to four a week.
The talent of Barkley has not gone unnoticed, but it’s something that wouldn’t be missed if not there. New York has a solid second option in the name of Matt Breida, and could always make a trade if needed. Not to mention QB Daniel Jones acts like a RB, he has never been afraid to run the ball and get hit hard.
If a deal with Barkley gets done then it will come before the regular season. I cannot picture the Giants’ front office working out a mid-season deal on a player who doesn’t really want to be there.