New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Insider: Saquon Barkley's camp requested trade after franchise tag

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/25/23

It appears running back Saquon Barkley possibly could've had a new employer this year even after the New York Giants used the franchise tag to retain his rights for 2023.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Tuesday that "multiple sources" say the Giants "called a dozen teams in an effort to find a potential trade partner" after they used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley back on March 7. Florio added that the trade calls "came at the request of Barkley’s representation" but resulted in no transaction because the Giants "obviously found no takers" for the 26-year-old.

Florio shared his update hours after it was learned Barkley reported to the Giants on time for training camp and signed a one-year contract worth $10.1M fully guaranteed with incentives that can bump the deal's worth up to $11M. The 2018 first-round draft pick was on track to make $10.091M for 2023 while on the original franchise tag.

Barkley responded to Florio's latest story via Twitter:

Per @ProFootballTalk, Saquon Barkley’s representatives requested a trade but the Giants couldn’t find any takers who would match their asking price in terms of compensation + Saquon’s contract desire. https://t.co/rf9SBG1BPx
— Giants Daily (@NYGDaily) July 25, 2023

— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 25, 2023

Earlier this month, Florio reported that Barkley had an offer on the table from Giants general manager Joe Schoen in March that was worth $13M per year and $26M over the contract's first two seasons. On Tuesday, Florio said that "Barkley was trying to get, we’re told, a contract that pays something in the range of $15M to $16M per year."

NFL reporter and analyst Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com wrote Tuesday that Barkley "had a chance to make $26M practically guaranteed" had he accepted an earlier proposal. Instead, Schoen pulled such offers after the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones agreed to a four-year contract worth up to $160M on March 7.

Per the terms of the agreement signed on Tuesday, Schoen can tag Barkley again next March at the price of roughly $12.109M. Assuming Barkley plays well enough to earn that much guaranteed cash despite the fact he features at a devalued position, his representation may push for Schoen to make trade calls ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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