Giants GM 'can understand' if tagged Saquon Barkley is frustrated

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen couldn't deny Wednesday that running back Saquon Barkley probably is unhappy about being franchise tagged ahead of free agency. 

"We tried to get a deal done with him and his representatives and we couldn’t," Schoen told reporters about Barkley, per Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I think both parties knew at the end of the day that this was an option. If he’s frustrated, I can understand some of that and we could be frustrated as well that we weren’t able to get a deal done. I love Saquon, he’s a good player and he’s going to be a part of this team going forward and we’ll see where it goes from here." 

It had been widely reported throughout the winter that Schoen was saving the franchise tag in case he and the camp for quarterback Daniel Jones couldn't get a deal done before Tuesday's deadline for teams to use their tags. Once the Giants and Jones agreed to a four-year contract in the 11th hour, the team happily used the non-exclusive franchise tag worth around $10.1M in salary cap and cash to retain Barkley's rights for 2023. 

To compare, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post noted that Barkley's representatives rejected an offer "averaging about $12.5M per year" this past November. 

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said Tuesday that the Giants could bump the contract to closer to $13M per season to help spread salary-cap hits across multiple years. 

The Giants aren't done negotiating with their most dynamic offensive play-maker not named Jones just because Tuesday's deadline has come and gone. Schoen confirmed he was going to speak with Barkley at some point after Wednesday's news conference. 

"He’s a good teammate, he’s a captain and he’s a hell of a player," Schoen added about Barkley. "Right now he’s under the franchise tag and as we build the team and continue with our offseason plan, we’ll do what’s best for the team and we’re still mapping that out." 

As shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy, former NFL quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason said during his WFAN morning show on Wednesday that Barkley is now "in a tough spot" because "nobody" will send the Giants the necessary two first-round draft picks to land a running back on the non-exclusive franchise tag. 

In short, Barkley may have to accept less overall money than he reportedly turned down during the 2022 season if he wants to ensure he'll have guaranteed cash coming his way past 2023.