Saquon Barkley will not sign the franchise before the Giants offseason program begins

The Giants named Barkley as their franchise player last month but have continued contract negotiations with the former No. 2 overall pick.

Giants owner John Mara said last month that he hopes to reach a long-term agreement and that he wants Barkley to “be a giant for his entire career.”

But negotiations remained deadlocked as of Wednesday morning and Barkley will not be eligible to participate in the offseason program unless he is under contract.

If the Giants don’t sign Barkley to a long-term deal by July 15, the two-time Pro Bowler will make $10.091 million in 2023 under a one-year franchise tender.

General Manager Joe Schoen has repeatedly stated that the Giants would prefer a long-term contract for Barkley, who reportedly turned down the team’s offer last November of a deal worth about $12 million per year.

Sources told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan earlier this season that a deal worth $14 million per year could be a range Barkley considered acceptable. Barkley also told Raanan at the end of the 2022 season that he hoped to avoid the franchise tag.

Barkley played a full season in 2022 for the first time since his rookie year in 2018 and finished fourth in the NFL with 1,312 rushing yards. He scored 10 touchdowns, had 32 rushes for 10 yards or more, and finished with 1,650 yards from scrimmage on his way to being second in the AP Comeback Player of the Year.

The only question surrounding Barkley is his health. He was plagued by injuries for three consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2021 and missed nearly all of 2020 due to a torn ACL in his right knee.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.