The Facts: The Giants and Jones took contract talks all the way down to the wire on Tuesday, but they were able to get to an agreement on a four-year deal just before the deadline to use the franchise tag. Jones is now tied to the Giants for four years and his agreement opened up the tag for running back Saquon Barkley, which was one of the topics of conversation at a Wednesday press conference to discuss the deal. Jones said Barkley “means a ton to me as a teammate and as a friend and he means a ton to us as a player,” which is why he views the ultimate agreeement with the team as accomplishing all the goals he had in the negotiation process.

Diehards Line:“In a situation like this, you’re trying to do what’s best for you and your family while also balancing being part of a team and understanding the goals and the vision we have as a team,” Jones said. “That was certainly important to me throughout the deal. I think we found a way to do both those things and to do it the right way for both sides. That was certainly important to me. ...” As PFT suggests, Barkley may have preferred a different outcome than the franchise tag, but the door to a longer deal with the Giants will remain open until July and getting something done there would make for even more smiles in the team’s backfield.