Giants GM 'Cautiously Optimistic' About Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones Contract Talks

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen told reporters he is "cautiously optimistic" the team will reach long-term contracts with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones before the start of free agency.

Speaking at the NFL scouting combine, Schoen said the Giants and Barkley are "a little bit closer" on a new deal. The team plans to use its franchise tag on Jones if no deal is reached by the March 7 deadline.

A quarterback franchise tag for the 2023 season would be $32.4 million. The Giants declined Jones' fifth-year option last offseason, which would have paid him about $10 million less than that figure.

Given Jones' struggles over his first three NFL seasons and his relative mediocrity in a solid 2022, it's unlikely the Giants are willing to pony up major guarantees over a long-term contract. The team may prefer a contract that frontloads money to Jones in 2023—a figure similar to the tag—but also provides them with flexibility to move on if he regresses next season.

Barkley's status is a little more straightforward: sign a long-term deal in New York or hit the open market. It's unlikely Barkley will be looking to reset the running back market given his injury history. Contracts signed by Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon in recent years, all of which land at more than $12 million per season, seem like logical starting points.

Christian McCaffrey's deal, which averages over $16 million per season, is the largest among running backs. Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott both have contracts with $15 million annual averages.

If Barkley is offered a deal in the $13 million annual average range—something like four years, $52 million—that should be enough to get the job done.