Giants owner 'not in a hurry' to offer Saquon Barkley extension

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Giants not offering RB Saquon Barkley a contract extension anytime soon?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Mar 31, 2021 5:07 PM ET

New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley logged only 19 carries in less than two full games last fall before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL on Sept. 20. Thus, it wasn't all that alarming when general manager Dave Gettleman suggested earlier this month the club had concerns about the long-term health of the 24-year-old ball-carrier and hadn't yet made a final call about the fifth-year option attached to Barkley's contract.

Per SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, Giants co-owner John Mara told reporters on Wednesday the team is "not in any hurry" to work out a contract extension with the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft:

John Mara on talking with RB Saquon Barkley about a contract extension: "We’re not in any hurry to do that. We fully expect him to be as good as new. … We hope he’s going to be a Giant for life. At the appropriate time, we’ll start those discussions."
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) March 31, 2021

According to Giants beat reporter Art Stapleton, Barkley's cap hit under the fifth-year option will be roughly $7.217 million, a relatively inexpensive number even though some experts doubt he'll be the same elusive play-maker he was before the injury:

In short, Mara's comments merely confirm what many assumed: Barkley will be playing for more than his teammates and his desire to win games later this year.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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