Saquon Barkley Rumors: Giants RB Not Eyeing 'Market-Setting' Contract Before Deadline

Time is ticking for Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants.

Barkley and Big Blue have until Monday to agree to terms on a long-term contract extension. Otherwise, the star running back will have to play the 2023 season on the $10.1 million franchise tag.

While reports have indicated that Barkley is seeking Christian McCaffrey-like money—$16.01 million per season—NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday on NFL Total Access (h/t NFL.com's Grant Gordon) that the Penn State product "is not looking for a market-setting deal."

There have been significant concerns about Barkley's status with the Giants this summer as they've come no closer to a long-term pact since they placed the franchise tag on him in March.

The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported on June 6 that there were "no indications" Barkley and the Giants had made any progress on a deal. ESPN's Dianna Russini reported the same on Wednesday, writing that the two sides remained "at a stalemate" in contract negotiations.

The running back market has arguably never been worse, and it's possible Barkley could miss time this season if the Giants don't sign him to a long-term contract.

The Giants have been vocal about wanting to retain Barkley in 2023 and beyond, so it's possible negotiations will heat up over the weekend. General manager Joe Schoen told reporters in January:

"He's done everything we've asked him to do and he's a good football player. We'll get into how we want to build this team and allocate our resources, and that's what it comes down to. Again, he's a good football player, he was durable for us this year, he played well, and again he's a guy that we'd like to have back."

Barkley burst onto the scene in 2018 after the Giants selected him second overall. He went on to win the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year award after rushing for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games.

The 26-year-old followed that up with another 1,000-plus yard rushing season in 2019 before appearing in just two games during the 2020 campaign because of a torn ACL. He was limited to just 13 games in 2021 due to an ankle sprain.

Concerns about Barkley's durability arose after back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, but he bounced back in 2022, rushing for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games to help the Giants make it back to the postseason for the first time since the 2016 campaign.

Given Barkley's importance to Big Blue's success, all eyes will be on his contract situation until the Monday deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions.