It seems that talks between the New York Giants and representatives for quarterback Daniel Jones became very tense and heated Monday as the two sides try to agree on a long-term deal before the franchise tag deadline at 4 ET Tuesday.
The New York Giants entered the 2023 NFL offseason with two primary goals: Re-sign Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. Both men were major parts of the team’s success last season, and are the anchors of their offense. However, they entered the 2022 season in the final years of their rookie contracts and they outperformed expectations this past season.
Meaning each has the leverage to ask for hefty raises in their next contracts. But the Giants may not be able to give both men massive long-term deals so the expectation heading into the offseason was that they would use their lone franchise tag on the running back and lock up Jones long-term.
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That plan, unfortunately, has gone awry in recent weeks with reports that Daniel Jones is looking for a contract similar to the elite players of the position. However, he is not in the league of those contemporaries and the New York Giants are looking to pay a more reasonable rate — reportedly between $32 and $39 million.
If the organization wants to guarantee they have both players in 2023, they must come to terms on a long-term pact with Jones and then formally franchise tag Barkley before 4 PM ET on Tuesday. Yet, it seems that the two sides still are far apart on a contract with the QB reportedly looking for well over $40 million annually.
New York Giants reported offer to Daniel Jones: Between $32 and $39 million
On Tuesday morning, just hours before the deadline, NFL Network league insider Ian Rapoport revealed that things actually got heated between the two sides during negotiations on Monday night.
“The Giants have made offers to Daniel Jones for a long-term deal. In fact, those talks continued deep into the night [on Monday], it got a little tense, tension boiled over at times. That can happen. These are serious conversations, but certainly, the sides did keep talking into the wee hours of the night.”
– Ian Rapoport
As talks continue to drag on, and things only seem headed in the wrong direction, it looks likely that the New York Giants will instead have to use their franchise tag on Jones today and risk losing Barkley when NFL free agency unofficially begins on March 13.