Saquon Barkley's Reps, Giants to Meet at Combine Ahead of 2024 NFL Free Agency

Heading into another offseason seeking a long-term contract, Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants are keeping dialogue open about staying together.

General manager Joe Schoen told reporters on Tuesday during a practice at the Senior Bowl that they "had a good conversation" with Barkley's representatives after the regular season and they plan to meet again at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

It will be interesting to see what path the Giants decide to take this offseason. They kept things mostly intact after the 2022 season coming off a surprise playoff berth and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card game.

Barkley and Daniel Jones were both poised to become free agents last offseason. The team was able to sign Jones to a four-year contract before the start of free agency, allowing them to use the franchise tag to retain Barkley.

When Barkley and the Giants didn't agree to a long-term deal before the deadline for tagged players to sign, he held out for most of the offseason. The 26-year-old eventually signed a one-year contract worth up to $11 million right before the start of training camp.

Barkley managed to have a productive season with 1,242 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns in 14 starts. He did miss multiple games due to injuries for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Very little went right for the 2023 Giants, who finished third in the NFC East with a 6-11 record. They ranked in the bottom seven in points scored and allowed per game.

Their quarterbacks were sacked an NFL-high 85 times. No other team allowed more than 65 sacks.

Given where the Giants' roster stands right now, it might not make sense to give Barkley a lucrative multiyear deal. But they are also lacking in skill-position playmakers on offense that they can't afford to give up their best one and hope to rebound in 2024.

Barkley has spent his entire six-year career with the Giants since being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He's been named to the Pro Bowl twice and won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018.