Giants hit a buzzer-beater at deadline
New York’s latest move ensures the future, or does it?
After an offseason of question marks surrounding the state of the New York Giants backfield, we finally have answers.
It only took within five minutes of the franchise tag deadline but as a great philosopher once said "I don't need more time, I need a deadline".
And with that target date gone, here's what we found out:
We knew this was a game of dominoes with the Giants, meaning, in order to even try and come to terms with both Daniel Jones and Saquon, one if not both had to sign an extension before today's franchise tag window closed.
With reports dating back to last week that Jones and New York were closer to a deal than Barkley, it was just a matter of if the two sides could negotiate in due time.
The Jones deal came first, and then the subsequent tagging of Barkely was done immediately after.
So take a breath Giants fans, you have your quarterback locked into a long-term deal, and your star back will return in 2023. Everything is gravy, right?
Not quite.
No player wants to be tagged, especially running backs who experience shorter shelf lives in the NFL.
The good news is the two sides have until the summer to negotiate a long-term deal, at which point the tag is locked in.
If Saquon's representation and the Giants brass cannot come to terms by the July 15th deadline, then the real fireworks begin.
We have seen players play unwillingly on the tag as recently as Jesse Bates with the Bengals last year.
But we have also seen players like Le'Veon Bell sit out a whole year and decline to play for his team.
Which side of the fence Saquon Barkley sits on is yet to be determined, and is a predicament that Giants fans hope they don't have to endure.
Time will tell what exactly the future is for Barkley and the Giants, but New York fans can sleep soundly tonight, knowing they have the labor rights to their two most important players through 2023.
