Saquon Barkley 2023 NFL season props, odds: Giants Pro Bowl running back reportedly ready to sit out Week 1 vs. Cowboys without long-term extension

There is one more big date in this NFL offseason before teams start reporting to training camp as early as next week: The franchise tag deadline of July 17. Players who that were tagged have until Monday afternoon to work out a long-term extension or they must play under the tag this season  -- unless they want to sit out like Le'Veon Bell did years ago. Arguably the biggest star slapped with the tag was Giants Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, and he's reportedly ready to miss at least Week 1 without an extension.

Barkley turned town a long-term offer from the Giants this winter, who then pulled the offer and focused on signing quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term deal (instead of tagging him), which the team did. If Barkley were to play on the tag in 2023, he would make $10.9 million. It's great money for a position that has been downgraded in the NFL, but Barkley wants long-term security.

The last player to sit out an entire season for similar reasons was Bell in 2018, and he was never the same. You may remember NFL rushing king Emmitt Smith sitting out the first two games of the 1993 season with the Cowboys because of a contract dispute. Dallas started 0-2 without Smith before the sides came to an agreement.

The 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Barkley is fresh off his best season since that rookie campaign, rushing for 1,312 yards and 10 scores and catching 57 passes for 338 yards last year to earn his second career Pro Bowl nod. He also had two rushing touchdowns in the wild card upset win at Minnesota before a relatively quiet Divisional Round loss to Philadelphia.

Barkley, the No. 2 pick in that 2018 draft out of Penn State, has hinted he'd consider sitting out into the 2023 season absent a contract extension. Barkley hasn't signed the tag, so he can't fined for being a holdout once camp starts if he chose that route -- he's technically not under contract.

For this season at DraftKings, Barkley is set at Over/Under 1000.5 rushing yards (both -110) and O/U 7.5 rushing TDs (both -110), +1500 to lead the league in rushing yards, +1500 to lead the league in rushing TDs, and +3000 to win Offensive Player of the Year. On some yes-only props, Barkley is +170 for at least 10 rushing TDs, +380 for 14 rushing TDs, +250 for at least eight 100 yard-games and +600 for a 200-yard game. Barkley's career high is 189 yards vs. Washington, which came late in the 2019 season.

The Cowboys, the Giants' Week 1 opponents, likely would be thrilled if Barkley sat out Week. Dallas is currently slated to visit New York as a 3-point favorite -- although if Barkley were to sit and Matt Breida is the New York's featured back, that spread would certainly be higher if Dallas is healthy. 

The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts Barkley for 64 rushing yards and 0.39 TDs for the opener. 

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