Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants reached an agreement on Tuesday that will keep the star running back with the team for at least another season, but the two sides were apparently open to parting ways not too long ago.
According to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Giants called a dozen teams back in March and April to discuss potential trades involving Barkley. They made the calls at the request of Barkley’s agent, as the former No. 2 overall pick was unhappy with being franchise tagged and not having a long-term contract in place.
The Giants initially wanted to sign Barkley to a long-term deal and use their franchise tag on Daniel Jones. When they could not come to an agreement with Barkley, they decided to do the opposite. Florio reports that Barkley was seeking a contract worth $15-16 million per year.
It is not a surprise that the Giants were unable to find takers for Barkley, especially given the current state of the running back market.
Barkley appeared to be headed for a holdout that would have lasted through training camp and beyond, but he and the Giants reached a compromise on Tuesday. It is possible the two sides will be back in the same spot a year from now.
