ESPN: Daniel Jones, Giants '50-50' on Contract; Saquon Barkley Could Hit Free Agency

Time is running out for the New York Giants to re-sign Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley before they have to make a decision about using the franchise tag on one of them and risk letting the other test free agency.

Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Giants are meeting with representatives for Jones and Barkley "on an almost daily basis," but the team and Jones are "50-50" on reaching a long-term deal.

Schefter noted if neither player is able to reach agreement on an extension, the Giants will use the franchise tag on Jones and let Barkley hit free agency to see what other offers might be available.

Contract talks seem to be getting better between the Giants and Jones.

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported on Friday there has been "progress" toward a deal for Jones with a starting salary of at least $40 million and it "doesn't seem unreasonable" to think something could get done before Tuesday's franchise-tag deadline.

Jones has a solid 2022 season under first-year head coach Brian Daboll. He threw for 3,205 yards, ran for 708 yards, accounted for 22 touchdowns and completed 67.2 percent of his passes.

In the Giants' playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings, Jones accounted for 379 yards and threw two touchdowns.

Barkley's contract negotiations are arguably more complicated than Jones' simply because of the difference in value between the two positions. The going rate for a starting quarterback in the NFL in 2023 is probably going to be about $40 million.

Running back is a position that teams generally don't like to invest big money in, though there are some exceptions. Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara are all making at least $15 million per season on their current deals.

Barkley told reporters in January he wasn't "really too concerned with resetting any markets" on his next contract.

Last season was the first time Barkley was fully healthy for an entire year since his rookie season in 2018. He set a career high with 1,312 rushing yards and led the team with 10 total touchdowns.