NFL Rumors: Giants' Saquon Barkley, Raiders' Josh Jacobs Won't Sign New Contracts

There is plenty of uncertainty regarding the immediate futures of running backs Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs after they reportedly failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension with their respective teams ahead of Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that since Jacobs did not sign the $10.1 million franchise tender from the Las Vegas Raiders, he does not have to report to training camp.

As for Barkley, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported he can only play on the tag without a long-term contract extension in place.

The running back reacted to the situation:

Jacobs' contract status with the Raiders has been a storyline since ahead of the 2022 season. The team elected not to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, which would have covered the 2023 campaign.

And then he went out and turned in a career season and seemed like someone worthy of a long-term extension.

The Alabama product led the league with 1,653 rushing yards last year. He also bested the NFL at 97.2 rushing yards per game and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground to go with 53 catches for 400 yards.

Yet Las Vegas did not come to an agreement on a new contract, which isn't surprising considering Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Saturday "the feeling is that the financial gap between the Raiders and Jacobs is too wide to close between now and Monday."

Jacobs may hold out during training camp, but doing so into the regular season would prove costly with the chance to earn money with the tender and perhaps play himself into a new deal with another excellent season.

Barkley's situation reached this point after the Giants decided to franchise tag him and give quarterback Daniel Jones a new contract this offseason.

The Penn State product may be a two-time Pro Bowler at age 26 coming off a season that saw him run for a career-best 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, but Jones receiving the extension while he received the tag was further evidence of the devaluing of the running back position in today's NFL.

Marquee players in their prime such as Jacobs and Barkley are not receiving long-term deals. They aren't the only ones, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Pollard also did not reach an agreement ahead of Monday's deadline.

Proven veterans such as Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette are still free agents, while contract extensions seem fleeting for the position at the moment. It seems like Jacobs, Barkley and Pollard will all be free agents next offseason, which will be quite the case study for the position's market.