As it now stands, Daniel Jones will be with the Giants for several years and Saquon Barkley will return on the one-year franchise tag.
So, Jones and Barkley, fast friends, will be together again in 2023.
Barkley wants more than that.
He wants a long-term commitment to keep him with Jones for seasons to come.
“I’ll let Saquon speak for himself,’’ Jones said Wednesday, the day after signing a four-year contract worth $160 million. “He’s meant a ton to me as a teammate, as a player. He’s a tremendous part of what we’re doing. So, he’s a big part of this team. I’ll let him speak about his business. He means a lot to me. I’ve loved playing with him.’’
General manager Joe Schoen maintained from the moment the 2022 season ended that he wanted to bring back Jones, 25, and Barkley, 26, on multiyear deals.
Schoen also made it clear Jones was the priority.
Barkley in early November declined to accept a three-year offer worth $12.5 million per year, and though the Giants upped their offer after the season, the increase was not enough to get Barkley to accept.
Once Jones was signed, Barkley was hit with the non-exclusive franchise tag, which will pay him $10.1 million.
He can negotiate with other teams, with the Giants having the right to match any offer.
If not, the team acquiring Barkley has to forfeit two first-round draft picks to the Giants.
That is a scenario that is not going to happen.
With the Jones deal in the rearview mirror, Schoen said he would speak with Barkley on Wednesday.
“Again, we’ve had deals out, whether it’s the bye week or recently,’’ Schoen said. “We’re going to continue to negotiate. We love Saquon. He’s a good teammate. He’s a captain. He’s a hell of a player. So, right now, he’s under the franchise tag. As we build the team and continue with our offseason plan, we’ll do what’s best for the team. We’re still mapping that out.’’
Schoen said he contacted Barkley before designating him as the Giants’ franchise player.
“We had some deals out there, and we tried to get a deal done with him and his representatives,’’ Schoen said. “And we couldn’t. I think both parties knew at the end of the day that this was an option, and if he’s frustrated, I can understand some of that. We could be frustrated as well that we weren’t able to get a deal done. I love Saquon. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a part of this team going forward. We’ll see where it goes from here.’’
The Giants could add a fourth year to the Barkley offer or perhaps guarantee more money to sweeten the pot.
Schoen for weeks made it clear that getting a deal done with Jones had a direct impact on what happened next with Barkley.
Jones certainly did not come cheaply, and his representatives tried not to leave any money on the table.
But, Jones said, he was cognizant of how his deal would affect Barkley and the way the Giants went about their business this offseason.
“In a situation like this, you’re trying to do what’s best for you and your family while also balancing being part of a team and understanding the goals and vision that we have as a team and as an organization,’’ Jones said. “That was certainly important to me throughout the deal. And I think we found a way to do both those things and to do it the right way for both sides. That was certainly important to me.”
“Saquon — I’ve said it, he means a ton to me as a teammate, as a friend. And he means a ton to us as a player. So, I won’t talk about his business. But that was a piece of it, too.’’