Saquon Barkley said the quiet part out loud last month:
“When they have the tag, they have all the leverage. That’s just the reality of it.”
Yes, that is the reality of it.
Against Barkley’s wishes, the Giants put the franchise tag on their star running back, which means he will play the 2023 season for $10.1 million — if he signs the tag.
Almost every player in that situation agrees to the tag, often grudgingly.
Eventually, Barkley is likely to do so as well, if an agreement on a long-term contract cannot be reached by the fast-approaching deadline of 4 p.m. on Monday.
After that, Barkley cannot get a multi-year deal from the Giants.
Signing the tag by that date, though, is likely not on Barkley’s to-do list.
As he so clearly stated, yes, indeed, the Giants do hold the leverage here.
“I have no power,’’ George Costanza said in the “Seinfeld” season 3 episode entitled “The Pez Dispenser.’’ “Why should she have the upper hand? Once in my life I would like the upper hand. I have no hand, no hand at all.’’
The only “hand’’ Barkley has, if the Giants do not up the ante, is to leave the franchise tag unsigned and not show his face at the team facility on July 25, which is the reporting day for veterans, with the first training camp practice scheduled for the next day.
Barkley is disappointed that offers made by the Giants leaked out even as he acknowledges the market for running backs is on a downward trend and he is not going to reach the holy grail of Christian McCaffrey’s contract, $16 million per year.
His only recourse is to let it be known that his patience in advance of the Monday deadline should not be mistaken for acquiescence when the deadline is at hand.
It is naive to think Barkley will admit defeat and say, “Well, I gave it my best shot, the Giants didn’t budge, so I’ll sign the tag and report on time with my teammates.’’ ESPN reported on Tuesday that without a new contract, Barkley’s availability for the Sept. 10 season-opener against the Cowboys would be in doubt.
The threat of Barkley missing camp, however, will probably not incite the Giants to increase their offer.
Barkley could not be fined for missing training camp because he would not be under contract.
That would go against his desire to work alongside his teammates — he is one of the most popular players on the roster — and it is debatable what his absence would accomplish, unless he is contemplating sitting out the entire 2023 season in protest.
That is highly unlikely.
“I don’t know what it would do,’’ a longtime NFL player agent told The Post about a possible Barkley holdout. “There’s nothing I could think of where [the Giants] would be more motivated. The upside of not signing the tag now is you get to not go to training camp. I’d have to be convinced by him that that’s a positive. If it is, that’s great.’’
By not reporting to camp, Barkley would save wear-and-tear on his body.
A second veteran player agent said Barkley needs to stay out of camp to send a message to the Giants that he cannot be “bullied,’’ so they will think twice about putting the franchise tag on him again in 2024.
“You have to set a stage for next year,’’ the second agent said. “You have to let them know this is not gonna be easy. You have to set a stage with a little bit of f–k you in it. Don’t make it so easy on ’em.’’
Given the downward trend across the NFL in the salaries of running backs, the average per year for Barkley is not as relevant as the guaranteed money on a multi-year deal.
The Giants’ latest offer of slightly more than $13 million annually does not include enough guaranteed money, in Barkley’s view.
The days of big guarantees to running backs — Christian McCaffrey is at $38 million, Alvin Kamara $33 million, Derrick Henry $25 million — are gone, for now.
The first agent suggested actually going under the $10.1 million franchise tag number as an average salary for Barkley, instead opting for a longer-term deal that includes more guaranteed money.
“All I want to know is, ‘I’m gonna be on the roster each year,’ then we could put in incentives,’’ the agent said. “You have to do a deal that reflects the market for running backs. You can’t just do an in-the-box, traditional deal. The team has no incentive to do that.
“You represent a running back, you’re guaranteed one thing: an unhappy client. It’s impossible.’’
Negotiations to this point should not be characterized as hot-and-heavy.
General manager Joe Schoen can take this to the deadline.
“I assume Joe is sort of being respectful to him,’’ the first agent said. “Like sort of pretending to negotiate.’’
