While this may just be 11-hour rhetoric aimed at getting a deal done before Monday’s franchise deadline, multiple league sources familiar with the stalled contract talks between Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs said both players are preparing to sit out parts of training camp if extensions can’t be reached.
On Thursday morning, sources familiar with the talks said there was little progress on an extension for Barkley and Jacobs, and that significant progress would need to be made for any chance of closing deals before Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline. HEY.
Although Jacobs’ main issues have not been characterized, a source said a Barkley extension continues to be largely a guaranteed monetary gap. According to the source, the Giants continue to seek a deal with guarantees that fall short of the minimum of what Barkley could lock under the next two franchise labels. The franchise tag for 2023 is $10.091 million. If Barkley were to be tagged a second time in 2024, his guaranteed number would be at least $12.1 million in 2024. Over a two-year span, that would net the Giants a guaranteed total of $22.2 million.
However, some NFL teams’ internal salary cap models already project that the 2024 franchise tag for running backs could top $13 million. If so, a second tag for Barkley would come at the higher number, suggesting that Barkley could be looking at a total payout of more than $23.1 in guaranteed money under consecutive tags. As it stands, the source said the Giants continue to offer less guaranteed money than either scenario. A general rule of thumb for agents negotiating extensions for franchise-tagged players is to make guaranteed money from consecutive tags the basis of extension talks. Anything below this number is considered a lowball starting contract offer in the agent industry.
While the dispute for Barkley and Jacobs has largely been pinned on an eroding pay scale for running backs, other factors within the respective franchises have also played a role in the reluctance to make long-term extensions. While the Giants embraced Barkley as the undisputed centerpiece of head coach Brian Daboll’s offense in 2022, there is an element of institutional memory that takes into account the injuries that disrupted parts of Barkley’s 2019 seasons. to 2021.
As for Jacobs, it’s believed the stalemate is largely about how the Raiders want to build and allocate money across the roster, and that a significant stat bar extension for a running back won’t is not something the team prioritizes under head coach Josh McDaniels. and general manager Dave Ziegler.
A top agent with multiple running back deals under his belt says RB’s value is being depressed more than ever by teams looking more than ever to paying for No 1 and 2 wide outs. said the long-term construction of the Giants and Raiders will reflect this over the next few seasons.
“Great [running back] contracts turned into catching a falling knife,” the agent said, “Coaches and GMs are more focused on paying two or three receivers to maximize quarterback output. This money has to come from somewhere. It doesn’t usually come off the offensive line and it certainly doesn’t come at the expense of a franchise quarterback. It therefore comes out of the pockets of the ball carriers. That’s where he is.
“Unless he’s a guy who can catch 80 passes and make explosive plays every game, running backs aren’t considered quarterback maximizers,” he added. “They decline faster from a physical standpoint after five or six years, when really good receivers can potentially play at a high level throughout a quarterback’s prime. Ball carriers are more disposable, renewable and interchangeable. I don’t think elite #1 receivers and very good #2 receivers are viewed that way. And I can prove it. Just look at the receiver’s last 10 years of money and compare it to the last 10 years of money back. They blew next to each other going in opposite directions.
This reality could ultimately be reflected in the direction of the Barkley and Jacobs talks over the next few days. Not to mention if either player is on the pitch for their respective teams when training camps begin at the end of this month.