This year’s window for teams to use the franchise tag to keep players out of free agency opened Monday, though action on this front generally takes place toward the window’s close. The Giants’ actions in 2023 showed that, but the tag deadline in New York might be quieter this year.
The Giants tagged Saquon Barkley minutes before the March 2023 deadline, reaching a long-term agreement with Daniel Jones to keep the option open of cuffing their Pro Bowl running back. Barkley was productive again in 2023, despite an early-season injury, but the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz indicates the team is “highly, highly unlikely” to give the six-year Giant a second tag. The Giants still plan to make Barkley a worthwhile offer, Schwartz adds, but they are not planning to make a tag part of the process this time around.
[RELATED: Giants To Meet With Barkley’s Camp At Combine]
Even though the Giants tagging Barkley in 2023 inflates his 2024 tender price, it still would cost them only $12MM to keep Barkley off the market. Only the kicker/punter tag checks in south of the running back number, which is projected to come in around $11.3MM for first-time RB tag recipients. The Raiders and Giants have been connected to potential second tags, and even while Josh Jacobs‘ tag number is higher due to the terms the Raiders agreed to just before last season, it appears Barkley will be given the chance to test the market.
The Giants did Barkley a disservice by tagging him last year. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year had bounced back after three injury-plagued seasons, powering an undermanned Giants offense to the playoffs. While Barkley is certainly in fine financial shape due to playing out a fully guaranteed rookie deal and following up a fifth-year option season by playing on a $10.1MM tag, his best chance to capitalize on the open market has likely passed. That does not mean Barkley would not generate a strong market this year, but the nature of the RB position puts the New Jersey native on the downside of his career.
This aspect will play into the Giants’ thinking, Schwartz adds, noting the Giants have conducted studies that have shown age 27 represents a running back cliff. Barkley, who turned 27 earlier this month, averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in 2023 and suffered another notable injury — a high ankle sprain — early on. The talented RB was forced to carry another poor offense — a trend throughout the Penn State alum’s New York tenure — and still finished the season strong. Barkley totaled 1,242 scrimmage yards in 14 games, doing so on an offense missing key O-linemen and aerial weaponry — and one without Jones for much of the season.
Both sides were interested in an extension as of November, but time is running out. Barkley has said on several occasions he wants to finish his career with the Giants, who still have exclusive negotiating rights with the Dave Gettleman-era draftee until the legal tampering period opens March 11. GM Joe Schoen spoke with Barkley shortly after the season, but Schwartz adds little came of that. Schoen has shown no hesitancy in re-upping Gettleman acquisitions, extending Dexter Lawrence and Andrew Thomas following the Jones $40MM-AAV payday. Barkley’s position, naturally, is hurting his cause.
Barkley would probably be the top RB available this year, surpassing the likes of Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard and D’Andre Swift. But he does have 1,201 carries on his odometer — which actually trails Jacobs’ count by more than 100, despite the latter being a year younger — and some injury baggage in his past. Barkley is three-plus years removed from the ACL tear that ended his 2020 season early, but ankle trouble has been a factor in the years since.
Barkley has pocketed more than $48MM in the NFL, and he will be in position to cash in again soon. It will be interesting to see if the Giants, who passed on trading him at the deadline to keep the door open for a potential post-2023 future, make a lucrative offer to retain him or move on to a cheaper back.
If the Giants lose Barkley, they will need to either draft a replacement or sign one. After the events of last year, it will also be interesting to see if Barkley can come close to the roughly $22MM guarantee total the Giants offered — while decreasing the proposal’s AAV at the last minute — just before last July’s tag extension deadline. This situation produced countless headlines last year, but it appears we will have a resolution much sooner this offseason. Should the Giants pay Barkley as a free agent or finally let him walk?
He’s a goner
Next man up would be Matt Breida and that would be a downgrade. Until they have a viable replacement I don’t think the Giants can let Barkley just walk.
Titans chargers ravens or Bucs should be calling him up pronto
Why tag him, so he can be injured again on their dime?
You tag or sign him bc he’s the entire offense. He has 640 touches in the last 2 seasons, not including the playoffs. He’s been a damn good player on a team with no offense. The QB is only good when he’s had Barkley to lean on. Outside of slayton, who is a good WR, but should not be a #1 guy there is minimal, if any, talent on that offense.
He’s accounted for 2,892 yards, not including the playoffs, in the last two years. Whats crazier is they haven’t had a line in over a decade and last year’s was arguably the worst of all time. Of course he gets hurt, he’s the only one who gets the ball. Maybe that’s a reason for some to say let him go, they’ve worn the tread off the tire but what chance do they have without him? You’re gonna tell me they’ll be ok with Jones throwing the ball 40x a game?
And if they let him walk after all of that, the locker room will see it and say ” man look at everything he did and they just let him walk, why would/do I want to play here?”
Tag him and have another sub .500 season? Dude isn’t durable. Not his fault that management signed Dan last season, but no reason to compound the same mistake this offseason with another bad signing.
Giving a big chunk of money to an oft-injured player at a low-value position isn’t the way to fix that offense. Heck, fixing the interior of the offensive line and bringing in a cheaper, lesser running back would likely result in a better running game.
I don’t disagree, the problem I see is – which (multiple) offensive lineman, that are any good, can you bring in with $12m, which with today’s cap isn’t really a large chunk of change.
I’m a big fan of having multiple big bruising “boring” RBs that wear down a defense. Problem there is they, typically, lack the upside and explosiveness of barkley and most offenses don’t pound the ball and lean on the run, including the Giants.
Another problem is there isn’t even a shadow of a replacement on the roster, today. It’s nice to speculate who you could draft or sign but it will take multiple backs to do that and multiple lineman.
So yes in the RB realm $12 might be a lot but you get what you pay for. So to me you pay for the known commodity who isn’t a distraction, is a good teammate and plays his ass off.
So do you fill a hole with guy you already have in the building, can extend at the very least for one season by sending an email to the league office or try to fill that hole with several guys you don’t know at all, have to compete on the open market for or put draft (lottery) picks.
To me, you go with the guy who wants to be here, has proven his value, and can score from anywhere on the field. They have a ton of holes to fill, no need to open up another huge one.
I get what you’re saying, and I get the appeal of Barkley, especially for a Giants fan, but you have to know it’s bad business. They currently have under $20 million in cap space and they need to be building toward the next competitive Giants team. Paying big money to a 27 year old running back with a long injury history isn’t the way to do that, especially when you’re not ready to win right now. He’s a terrific player and seems like a good guy, but you have to have to let team building strategy take precedence. Not only do they have much bigger fish to fry on their roster, but you have to trust that you can find a perfectly good running back group elsewhere. A hole at running back isn’t that hard to fill, and over-committing to it can cost you elsewhere.
$30m cap increase…..$13m/$255m. Roughly 5% cap for your RB is fine for me..
Mr Barkley, Welcome to the Chargers.