Saquon Barkley Rumors: NFL Agent Says Giants RB Should Aim for 3-Year, $30M Contract

As he holds out for a long-term contract, New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is fighting a battle that has been taken on by so many at his position before him.

With the NFL seemingly devaluing the running back position with each passing season, the two-time Pro Bowler had the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him in March. It's a one-year deal worth a little over $10 million.

But Barkley has refused to sign the tender and hasn't ruled out sitting out the entire season if he doesn't get a respectable deal that he thinks he deserves.

"It's all about respect," he told media at his youth football camp Sunday. "That's really what it is."

One player agent told Heavy.com's Matt Lombardo that while Barkley should pursue a long-term deal, he should take one that is similar to the tag in terms of average annual value.

"There's no doubt this league is moving away from big second contracts for the top running backs," the agent said. "If I were advising Saquon, I would do a three-year deal worth $30 million fully guaranteed, if we could get it. That would be three years of the current going rate for a franchise running back."

Three of the NFL's biggest potential free-agent running backs, Barkley, Dallas' Tony Pollard and Las Vegas' Josh Jacobs have all had the franchise tag placed on them.

Barkley, 26, has already sat out of the Giants' OTA sessions and plans on also being absent from mandatory minicamp. July 17 is the deadline for the two sides to come to an agreement on a long-term deal and the star rusher isn't scared of taking the season off if he thinks that's what he needs.

"What really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out and how misleading they were," Barkley said. "I feel like it was trying to paint a narrative of me or a picture of me that wasn't true."

The three-year, $30 million deal that the agent referred to likely won't get it done for Barkley, especially since he turned down a much bigger offer during the season. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported a couple months ago that the Giants offered Barkley a deal that would have paid him $14 million a year during the bye week.

However, the structure of the deal and the guaranteed money became a problem and caused negotiations to fall apart.

New York general manager Joe Schoen tried to lock down his star once again ahead of the franchise tag deadline, but Barkley turned down the team's offer that would have been worth approximately $12.5 million a year, according to Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.

That deal would have left hm tied with Derrick Henry as the third-highest paid running back in the league.

After Barkley turned down that deal, the Giants decided to take all offers off the table and just tag him instead.

"That's for another time," Barkely said when asked about the pulled offer.

Despite the strenuous process, Schoen has sounded committed to getting a deal done as long as it suits both parties.

"Listen, Saquon is a very good football player, captain last year. He's a good locker room guy. I love him. We want him to be here," Schoen said during an appearance on "Good Morning Football" via NFL.com. "But you've got to have a deal where both parties are happy with where you end up. That's what we're going to try to work for and see if we can get something we can both agree on."

Last season, fully recovered from a torn ACL, Barkley rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns. He also added 388 receiving yards and was named to his second Pro Bowl.