Barkley could opt to sit out the season.Source: AFPWeeks of silence in negotiations gave way Monday to swapping final offers.
Barkley previously had rejected a contract worth $13 million per year but with only $19.5 million guaranteed, so the Giants upped the guaranteed to slightly north of $22 million ($32m AUD) but lowered the average annual value, according to sources.
The $22 million is a relevant number because that is in the ballpark of what he would earn ($22.2 million) if he plays on the tag in 2023 and is tagged again coming off a strong season for 2024.
So, the Giants will enter training camp with a backfield of Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Jashaun Corbin and rookie Eric Gray unless they make a move.
They also have to wonder if not signing Barkley sends the wrong message into the locker room about taking care of their own players when teammates see a productive co-captain who said all the right things and was a NFL Man of the Year Award nominee not finally rewarded.
Barkley must decide whether to risk his upward career trajectory by sitting out part of a season (like Melvin Gordon) or a full season (like Le’Veon Bell), knowing that neither of those backs was ever the same.
He also has to consider whether private training will have him as ready to be effective and resistant to injury as a regular camp with teammates.
In other words, this is a regrettable conclusion to a tense negotiation for both sides.
The franchise tag gave the Giants all the leverage and Barkley added agent Ed Berry of CAA as co-representation with Kim Miale of Roc Nation last month in hopes of jumpstarting talks.
Christian McCaffrey (49ers), Alvin Kamara (Saints) and Derrick Henry (Titans) all have more than $22 million guaranteed on their contracts, and Cook and Elliott topped that number on past deals with the Vikings and Cowboys, respectively.
All five of them and Nick Chubb (Browns) had deals paying at least $12 million per year as of last season.
