Saquon Barkley’s Contract Saga With Giants Continues On Before Minicamp

When the Giants begin mandatory minicamp this week, don’t expect Saquon Barkley to be on the field, or anywhere near New York’s practice facility.

The star running back and the Giants are at an impasse when it comes to Barkley’s contract. Barkley is seeking a long-term deal after the Giants franchise tagged him this offseason and he has yet to sign the tag.

And the 2018 No. 2 overall pick doesn’t exactly have a ton of belief that he’ll get the long-term security he wants as the contract saga continues on.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Barkley told reporters Sunday at his AMPT football camp when asked about how optimistic he was about a deal getting done, as transcribed by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Barkley and the Giants have until July 17 to strike a new deal. Barkley said he’s not in a rush to get a deal done at the moment with over a month to go until the deadline. And if things don’t come to fruition, Barkley hasn’t ruled out sitting out the season.

“That comes up in the conversation if something doesn’t get done by July 17,” Barkley said, per Raanan.

But Barkley isn’t exactly thrilled with the position he’s in, either. Barkley, who has expressed his desire to remain with the Giants, feels as though he is perceived as “greedy” for wanting to negotiate a new contract.

“Me getting tagged, was I upset about it? Nobody wants to get tagged,” Barkley said, per Rannan. “To sit here and say I was frustrated, I was mad, I was upset, what really got me upset was the stories that got leaked out and how misleading they were and how untruthful they were.

“I feel it was trying to paint a narrative of me, paint a picture of me that is not even true. Not even close to being the truth.”