Giants, Saquon Barkley Contract Talks to Continue Next Week After NFL Draft, GM Says

With the 2023 NFL draft now over, the New York Giants are ready to resume contract negotiations with star running back Saquon Barkley.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed that locking up the two-time Pro Bowler is at the top of his priority board.

"Yes, we'll have conversations with him," Schoen said (via Darryl Slater of NJ.com) "We had conversations last week."

The Giants franchise-tagged in March after they locked up quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract. Barkley is currently set to make $10.1 million on the tag in 2023.

"We'll talk this coming week now that the draft is over," Schoen said. "We'll kind of reconvene and see if it makes sense to have dialogue with his his representatives."

The 2018 second overall pick has had a roller-coaster career. The highs include his most recent season, in which he ran for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. The lows have included a torn ACL, sprained ankles and hamstring issues.

Those injury issues add risk to extending Barkley long term, but the Giants are hoping to avoid losing a dynamic player like him after making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Barkley previously turned down an offer for more than $12 million per year and is believed to be seeking a deal in the $14 million range, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. According to OverTheCap.com, the Giants have the least amount of cap space in the NFL.