The New York Giants and Saquon Barkley have so far been unable to agree on a new contract. The deadline is approaching – and the other options for the running back are extreme.

The clock is ticking mercilessly for Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants.

The running back still hasn’t signed a contract since the Giants gave him a franchise tag in March. Him missing the first day of games is a serious threat, “ESPN” reports.

Barkley contradicts reports

The 23-year-old apparently wants more money than the $10.1 million he would be entitled to by the tag for the coming year.

However, Barkley has now contradicted a report by “ProFootballTalk” that he was asking for $16 million in annual salary. That’s what the top earner among running backs, Christian McCaffrey, is pocketing with the San Francisco 49ers.

In response to a tweet to that effect, Barkley responded on Twitter with two baseball caps, “cap” being slang for lie in the US. He had already criticised “untruthful” and “misleading” reporting once before.

https://t.co/b9zrfep40j

– Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 12, 2023

No approach between Barkley and Giants

NFL insider Mike Garafolo again reports the 26-year-old is aware of the market for running backs and is not seeking a max deal. However, the two parties are also said to have not approached each other in recent days and have not been negotiating recently.

Should the Giants and Barkley fail to agree on a long-term contract (and salary to match) by Monday, and Barkley refuses to sign the tag contract, the running back could sit out the upcoming season.

Bell as a cautionary tale for Barkley

The latest player to sit out a full season is Le’Veon Bell. He sat out 2018, signed with the New York Jets the following season, but never regained his previous form.

Barkley, selected No. 2 overall in the 2018 draft, won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season. But then injuries slowed the dynamic running back.

By 2022, Barkley had recovered from the setbacks and delivered an outstanding 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning him his second Pro Bowl.