Saquon Barkley’s contract standoff with the Giants could get more complicated during or after this weekend’s NFL Draft if GM Joe Schoen adds a dynamic rookie running back.
A disgruntled player like Barkley can become a trade candidate at these pressure points if the conflict escalates and the team has the chance to land draft capital in return.
Co-owner John Mara and Schoen have indicated trading Barkley isn’t in their plans.
“I don’t want to trade him,” Mara said of Barkley at the NFL owners meetings in late March. “We’re not looking to trade him. We’re not shopping him. And I’d be very surprised if we made that decision.”
Mara didn’t rule it out as impossible, though.
And don’t forget: although a lot has happened in the last year, Schoen started his tenure as Giants GM by declaring in March 2022 that he was “open for business” and “open to everything,” including entertaining trade offers for Barkley.
A lot has changed since then, obviously.
Both Schoen and Barkley have told stories of how they immediately connected after those comments, and the GM said he assured Barkley of his place in the organization.
Barkley then rattled off a career high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season to help lead the Giants back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
And that brought Schoen to the negotiating table in November to make a multi-year contract extension offer averaging more than $12 million.
But Barkley’s reps turned that offer down twice, once in November and again in January. And then Mara and Schoen paid quarterback Daniel Jones while franchise tagging Barkley on a one-year, $10.1 million tender.
Schoen then said he was resetting and eventually tabling negotiations as he neared the NFL Draft, which was the plan all along if they reached an impasse.
Barkley has refused to sign the franchise tag tender, however, to avoid reporting to the Giants’ offseason program so far. It’s his only leverage.
Schoen then was unable to say last week if he expects Barkley to be on the field with the Giants in Week 1.
“You’ll have to ask him,” Schoen said. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what his plan is. I haven’t talked to him in probably three weeks.”
Asked if Barkley still wants to be a Giant, Schoen added: “I haven’t talked to him.”
This standoff is newly relevant this week because the Giants hold 10 draft picks in this weekend’s NFL Draft, and there were dual-threat running backs who catch the ball better than Barkley on Thursday’s first round board in Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs.
There are also mid-rounders like TCU’s Kendre Miller that Schoen conceivably could draft as insurance for Barkley, if not as a downhill running replacement to help the team weather a Barkley holdout.
The Giants taking one of those players could be the final straw for Barkley’s tolerance of any disrespect of his value to the team.
Of course, trading Barkley would rob the Giants of the best playmaker on their roster. So it’s possible Schoen would only execute a trade if it helped him get an immediate established contributor like Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis in return.
On the other hand, maybe the draft could work out in the Giants’ favor with Barkley.
Maybe selecting a running back — or the threat of one — could put some positive pressure on Barkley to accept a contract that doesn’t meet his original expectations but is still solid.
Regardless, it’s important to remember while watching the NFL Draft that this weekend isn’t just about the college prospects. It’s also about how their additions impact rosters, sometimes all the way up to the top.
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