Saquon Barkley to Consider Sitting Out 2023 Season If No New Giants Contract Reached

As his contract dispute with the New York Giants continues, star running back Saquon Barkley has made it known that he will consider sitting out the season if a long-term deal is not reached.

"That comes up in the conversation if something doesn't get done by July 17," Barkley said Sunday, per ESPN's Jordan Ranaan.

July 17 marks the deadline for the two sides to reach a long-term agreement. If the two sides can't agree to a deal by that date, Barkley will have to decide whether to play the 2023 season under the $10.1 million franchise tag or miss games.

The two-time Pro Bowler also added that he wanted to be a Giant for life and that he didn't want to reset the running back market.

"It's all about respect," he said in regards to contract talks, per Ranaan.

The Giants kept Barkley from becoming a free agent back in March after placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, worth about $10 million next season. The two sides were meant to continue negotiations after the draft, according to general manager Joe Schoen, but no deal has managed to materialize.

Barkley has yet to sign the franchise tag and was absent from OTAs as he's not allowed to practice without having signed the tender.

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

He also announced that he doesn't plan on attending the Giant's mandatory minicamp that begins this week.

Earlier this offseason it was reported by Ranaan that New York had a $14 million-per-year offer on the table for Barkley during the bye week. Ultimately, the structure of the deal and the guaranteed money became a problem and caused negotiations to fall apart.

The Giants then tried to get a deal done with the superstar back ahead of the franchise tag deadline but, according to Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, he turned down their offer worth approximately $12.5 million a year, which would have left him tied with Derrick Henry as the third-highest paid running back in the NFL.

The franchise decided to take the offer of the table and just tag him until a deal could get done.

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

Big Blue fans are hoping to have Barkley in the Big Apple beyond just 2023 as he's one of the pillars of coach Brian Daboll's offense and is coming off one of the best years of his career.

During an appearance on "Good Morning Football" back in April, Schoen sounded committed to getting a deal done that made sense for both sides of the table.

"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, 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."

Following a couple seasons hampered by injuries, Barkley was back to his best in 2022, showing off all the flashes of brilliance that he had as a rookie in 2018. He finished the season with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while adding 57 receptions and 338 yards in the passing game.