The New York Giants thought they answered any questions regarding the future of their offense this spring, inking Daniel Jones to a contract extension and franchise tagging star back Saquon Barkley. 

But with the official start of the 2023 offseason today, the Giants were without both Barkley and star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, leaving members of the coaching staff and teammates to answer about their absence. 

So with the draft on the horizon, while Brian Daboll would like to focus on the start of something new, he and other Giants were left in a tough spot during today's press conference. 

When asked about his two stars not being at organized team activities Daboll said:

"First of all, we've had a great turnout. We've had a few meetings here The guys that are here are excited to be back. We got off to a good start," Daboll said. "I've talked to both of those players, both Saquon and Dex. I'll leave those conversations as I always do, private."

It should be noted that even if Dexter Lawrence and Saquon Barkley were happy with their current contracts, they are under no requirement to attend the start of OTA's, as this period is strictly voluntary. 

And as Jordan Raanan who covers the Giants for ESPN noted, Barkley has yet to sign his tag, meaning he can't even legally be in the facility. 

Barkley is "unhappy" being stuck on the $10.1 million franchise tag, multiple sources told ESPN in recent weeks. He will not sign the tag anytime soon and, as a result, can't attend workouts or be in the Giants' team facility, said Raanan.

When asked about where the sides stand in terms of ending the impasse between the front office and Barkley, Daboll said:

"Yeah, it's April 17, again, I'm going to keep all those conversations private." Said Daboll. That is the way I'll always do it. I'm excited about the guys that are here. Much respect for Saquon, and those things in some form or some time will find itself working out."

But Brian Daboll wasn't the only one who had to answer uncomfortable questions about the absences of Barkley and Lawrence, with star quarterback Daniel Jones fielding the following response:

"Like I said, those two guys are excellent teammates, stand-up guys who we have a tremendous amount of respect for," said Jones. "In terms of dividing the locker room or making anyone feel differently, I think that is out of the question. I think everyone has a tremendous amount of respect and understands that piece of it. We're all mature and understand that."

So, with plenty of time to work out the details, and the offseason still in the infancy stage, Giants fans shouldn't feel pressed about the lack of participation from arguably their two best players. 

Winning comes at a cost and so does drafting good players. The bill has come due on two successful picks, and now the Giants will have to pay up. 

But the quicker the team can get everyone on the same page the better, with the distractions of the absences causing more harm than good.