East Rutherford, New Jersey (PSF) - As the off-season began the Giants decided to franchise tag running back Saquon Barkley. Effectively giving the team and Barkley more time to work out a long-term contract which has yet to be agreed upon. Barkley has also not signed his franchise tender as of now. The deadline for both sides to reach an agreement is July 17th. If the Giants want to have a successful season and improve their offensive production they will need to re-sign Barkley because if they do not then the offense will be left with a huge hole.

with barkley

In the 2022-23 NFL season Barkley exploded for 1,312 rushing yards while scoring 10 touchdowns. Barkley also played well in the Giants playoff run last season helping them win a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the season the two-time Pro Bowler was the focal point for the offense and produced at a high rate. The on-field production is obviously something that the team benefited from but his leadership is where the Giants benefited the most. As of now the Giants have had a successful off-season improving in positions where they were weak last season. They strengthened their offensive line and added weapons in the receiving core. The offensive line should be able to open more holes and the receivers should pose more of a threat so that the defense does not always stack the box, both aiding the Giants rushing attack. There are high hopes for the team now that the offense has improved but in order for those aspirations to take off Barkley will have to be on the team with a new contract. As long as Barkley is on the team, the Giants can be a dangerous group on the offensive side. Without Barkley the Giants would not be able to replace his production, seeing as he is the heart of the offense as well as the team.

new optimism

Over the past week there have been reports of some level of optimism that a deal will eventually get done. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on this new development and stated that the two sides can come to an agreement at some point before the July 17th deadline. Barkley wants more guarantees in his contract but will the Giants give it to him? Well if the team wants to continue its bright future they will have to certainly make Barkley their number one priority the next couple of days.