Good news for New York Giants: He is back..
Saquon Barkley, a talented running back for the Giants, will have the opportunity to explore free agency.The New York Giants’ decision to forego applying a franchise tag to the second overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft on Tuesday brought star running back Saquon Barkley one step closer to becoming a free agent.
Prior to the commencement of training camp, the Giants utilized the tag in the previous season and were able to negotiate a one-year contract worth $10.1 million. If Barkley had accepted the offer, a franchise tag this season would have cost the organization $12.2 million.
The Giants and 27-year-old Barkley have until Wednesday to finalize a deal. Barkley is seeking a multi-year contract. At that point, free agency starts.
Barkley participated in 14 games the previous campaign, missing three due to a sprained high ankle. In addition to having 41 receptions for 4 touchdowns, he ran for 962 yards and 6 scores.
Barkley has rushed for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns since joining the Giants. The Penn State product has additionally caught 288 passes for 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Safety Xavier McKinney was not franchise-tagged by New York either, but he still has time to negotiate a new contract. Playing every defensive play, the 24-year-old was the Giants’ second-leading tackler in the previous campaign. A one-year contract offering $13.8 million was attached to a safety’s franchise tag.
The Giants might sign this running back in free agency if Leaves Saquon Barkley
A few FOX Sports analysts think the Giants should make the absurd decision to spend a high salary to get a seasoned running back.
Saquon Barkley, a running back for the New York Giants who is a free agent, has been the subject of one of the major off-season discussions regarding the team: should they bring him back?
Although the Giants don’t seem to be planning to franchise tag the running back, general manager Joe Schoen told reporters that they haven’t ruled it out. Barkley, meanwhile, has been steadfast in declaring that he wants to play for the Giants for the remainder of his career.
But what would happen if Barkley and the Giants are unable to come to an agreement that would guarantee the running back’s Giant status for life? If that happened, Josh Jacobs, a running back from Las Vegas who is also a potential unrestricted free agent, would be a strong fit for the Giants, according to FOX Sports reporters Greg Auman, Henry McKenna, and Eric Williams.
When it comes to injuries, “[Jacobs] would certainly be more reliable than Barkley,” the analysts say in defense of their choice. Jacobs is also a capable touchdown producer on the ground. He has 12 running touchdowns in two seasons.
For the sake of giving Jacobs a large contract, the organization would be foolish to let Barkley depart. Barkley’s APY value is at $9.9 million on Spotrac, whereas Jacobs’s is $10.6 million. For two players that had inconsistent seasons in 2023 and had stats that were comparable—each rushing for six touchdowns and less than four yards per carry—there isn’t much of a difference.
In the event that Barkley were to sign with another club and the Giants were unwilling to spend much money at the running back position generally, they would likely choose to sign a value player.
Although Jacobs seems like a good fit, the situation is not plausible. If Jacobs enters the free-agent market, it’s unlikely that the Giants will even give the former Raiders great a sniff unless Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll love him even more than Barkley.
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