Saquon is getting his money — well, at least for one year.
Superstar running back Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants have agreed on a one-year contract worth around $11 million, and there’s also a $2 million signing bonus attached to the deal as well, according to a Tuesday morning report from the NFL Network. League insider Ian Rapoport shared the information behind Saquon’s deal.
“When a player doesn’t do a long-term deal by the mid-July deadline, the only option is a 1-year deal,” Rapoport wrote. “But the two sides can negotiate that 1-year franchise tag into a 1-year new contract. It’s very rare. But that’s what happened here. Smart on all sides.”
The drama between Barkley and the Giants popped off in mid-July after the two parties didn’t agree on a long-term contract. The NFL immediately went into a frenzy, as it appeared Barkley would miss both training camp and potentially some regular season games. In fact, things got so tense that Barkley himself was even considering sitting out the entire 2023 campaign.
Surprise! 🚨 🚨 🚨
The #Giants and star RB Saquon Barkley agreed to terms on a new 1-year deal worth up to $11M, sources say, as Barkley gives himself a chance to beat the franchise tag. He gets a $2M signing bonus.
Bottom line: Barkley is coming in & will be at training camp. pic.twitter.com/A5PR7RWLfQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2023
It’s absolutely amazing to me that an outright superstar like Saquon Barkley — who isn’t even in his prime yet at 26 years old — is having to scrape up cash like this. In athlete terms, $11 million is just some change, and my man had to do everything just to get that. (RELATED: Bud Light Tried To Celebrate The NFL’s New Season. They Were Met With Angry Americans)
Absolutely insane how running backs are getting treated in the NFL.