Brian Daboll mum on Saquon Barkley amid contract controversy: ‘Each year’s different’ for RB values

Two days after Saquon Barkley vented frustration that “misleading” details of his Giants contract negotiations got “leaked,” more conflicting information hit the news.

NFL Network reported that a contract offer the Giants had pulled from Barkley prior to Daniel Jones’ March signing is now back on the table. However, a source told the Daily News that as of Tuesday afternoon, that was not true.

This is why it was hard to accept when head coach Brian Daboll tried to preempt questions about Barkley Tuesday by saying: “Every conversation I have about Saquon will be private.”

Because Barkley said Sunday at his AMPT Events kids’ football camp in Jersey City that his problem is the Giants haven’t kept their negotiations private. And so while Daboll deflected, this conflict and potential distraction appeared to escalate.

Not all of Tuesday’s rhetoric was unhelpful, though.

Assistant Giants GM Brandon Brown, who has been part of the Barkley negotiations that have lasted “about nine months,” seemed optimistic about pushing past the running back’s frustrations to get a deal done.

“I think when you’re dealing with someone who is extremely mature like Saquon, you can separate the personal and the professional,” Brown said. “And I think that’s when you have honest and open conversation. You take the feelings out of it. You’re able to establish common ground. It doesn’t mean you’re gonna agree, but that’s what I appreciate about him: He can listen, and he can digest the information we’re giving him, and he can tell us his feelings, as well.”

And yet the lingering question is how far apart the Giants and Barkley were on that last deal that GM Joe Schoen pulled off the table in March. What the Daily News understands, according to a source, is this:

Any of these reported $13 million-per-year offers were much lower in real value due to some combination of mechanisms such as low guaranteed money and per-game roster bonuses.

Frankly, if this ever reached a point where Barkley got offered a contract with acceptable guaranteed money that averaged $13 million a year, it would be a mistake for him to not sign it. That would place him third among all NFL running backs in average annual value behind only the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey ($16 million) and the Saints’ Alvin Kamara ($15 million).

This is about “respect” for Barkley, in his words. So he wants both the contract offer and the Giants’ behavior around the negotiations to reflect that.

Of course, if the Giants are willing to discuss the $13 million annual number at all, it theoretically should put both sides in the ballpark to get a deal done.

They have until July 17 at 4 p.m. to strike a multi-year extension before Barkley can only play on the $10 million, one-year franchise tag. He hasn’t signed the tender yet, so he isn’t on the roster and can’t be fined for his absence.

But right now, this situation has gotten tense after Barkley admitted holding out could be an option if they don’t reach a deal by mid-July.

“We want him back as soon as possible,” wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “I can’t visualize him in another jersey. That’s my best friend. Obviously, I want him here. But you know, you’ve got to figure out stuff that’s right for you, right for your family, and I understand that part, too. [I’ve] been doing this awhile, so I’ve seen a lot of situations like that.”

Shepard and Barkley both saw the Giants sign their good friend Odell Beckham Jr. to a mega contract extension in 2018 and then trade him to the Cleveland Browns the next spring. That was a different GM, but that was the players’ first lesson about the harsh business they’re in.

That’s part of why Barkley felt comfortable challenging the club on Sunday over what he clearly considered a breach of trust.

“We say ‘family business is family business’ in that facility, in that building, and I’m gonna stick to that,” Barkley said. “The thing I’m frustrated most about is, like how I said ‘family business is family business,’ and then sources come out and stories get leaked, and it didn’t come from me ... I feel like it’s trying to paint a narrative of me, a picture of me that’s … not even close to being true.”

Brown, the assistant GM, interestingly used that same phrase on Tuesday about Barkley’s negotiations: “We’re gonna keep family business inside.” But he also believes they have a strong enough relationship to bridge the gap over this disagreement.

“I think it’s one of those things where you look at the foundation of your relationship,” Brown said. “Our foundation of our relationship with Saquon is one of not just trust but honesty. It’s no different than being in a family. Family’s going to disagree at some point, but one thing you know at the crux of your relationship is there’s love there.

“Saquon knows how we feel about him,” Brown added, “and whether it’s said openly or behind closed doors, we’ve had multiple conversations with him where there’s things we agree on and there’s things we disagree on. But at the end of the day, he knows how we feel about him, and that’s something that’s not gonna change.”

Brown even went as far as saying about Barkley: “I’ll be excited whenever he’s back, but I know he’s taking care of his business right now.”

And yet, on the business side, Brown said, “I just think precedent sets the market.” And Daboll said of the depressed running back market: “I think each year’s different.”

“That’s something — we don’t control it,” Brown said of market values. “We don’t. What we do is try to forecast and react. So that’s what we’ve done. And the market is the market. But I think precedent dictates where it sits.”

So will the Giants compromise to find a middle ground? If they don’t, couldn’t this become a training camp distraction?

“I’m just focused on today,” Daboll said.

Fair enough. On Tuesday, though, here was the story of Giants minicamp:

“Is everybody here?” a reporter asked.

“Everybody except Saquon,” Daboll said.

THE TUNA STOPS IN

Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, the two-time Giants Super Bowl head coach, stopped by to watch practice and addressed the team on Tuesday. His message?

“Just about accountability,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “Talking about what makes a team great and what tests a team in a season and staying close, staying together, taking accountability for your role on the team. I think it was a great message.”

The Giants have one more minicamp practice before breaking until training camp.