This is one window that is highly unlikely for the Giants to open for Saquon Barkley.
NFL teams can begin placing franchise tags on players starting Tuesday, for a two-week period until March 5th.
Unlike last year, when the Giants teamed up with Barkley after failing to reach a long-term deal, there’s no real feeling there’s any interest in doing so this time around.
It’s just a matter of money and taste.
The running back’s franchise tag last year was $10.1 million.
If they team up again, Barkley’s salary will increase by 20%, or $2 million, making him around $12 million for the 2024 season.
Ask yourself. Do you think general manager Joe Schon, when evaluating this situation, feels that Barkley earned a 20 percent raise based on his performance in 2023?
Barkley stayed healthy throughout the 2022 season, rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards for the first time since his rookie year in 2018.
In the first year of the Shane/Brian Daboll regime, the Giants were one of the league’s surprise teams, going 9-7-1 and winning the playoffs.
In 2023, Barkley missed three games with an ankle sprain, rushed for 962 yards, and the Giants finished 6-11, one of the most disappointing teams in the league.
Of course, there are mitigating factors.
The 2022 Giants had Daniel Jones on the field every game they needed him.
In 2023, when the Giants rode the quarterback merry-go-round of Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, Jones played in just six games.
Turbulence at the quarterback doesn’t smooth out the running back’s movement at the start.
There were all sorts of sneaky offensive line issues for Barkley to overcome last season.
The bottom line is that the Giants aren’t expected to allocate $12 million of their salary cap to a running back, especially a player they see declining.
The Giants conducted a study at the position that showed most running backs trend upward until age 26.
When 27 hits, there will be a cliff and most of it will start falling.
Barkley turned 27 on February 9th.
This is a much different scenario than last year, and there is much less urgency now.
The Giants wanted to sign Barkley to a three-year contract a year ago. That would allow them to leverage the franchise tag to keep Jones around during contract negotiations.
The Giants thought they could make a deal with Barkley by guaranteeing him $23 million over two years, but Barkley turned down all offers.
There was no desire to allow him to try free agency — the team was very good in 2022, after all — and once Barkley acquired the tag, Jones’ influence waned, and ultimately The annual fee was $160. The $1 million contract ended up being more expensive than the Giants had hoped for.
Shawn spoke briefly with Barkley a few days after the season ended, but nothing was forthcoming other than to say that the team and Barkley’s representatives were scheduled to meet at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis the week of February 26th. There wasn’t.
Teams will be able to begin contract negotiations with players outside their organizations from March 11th.
It seems unlikely that Barkley will see the Giants numbers he wants to jump on instead of hitting the open market to see what else is out there.
Barkley was one of three running backs to receive the franchise tag in 2023, but none of them were smash hits.
Josh Jacobs was the NFL rushing leader in 2022 with 1,653 yards, but slumped to 805 yards in 13 games with the Raiders.
Tony Pollard ran for 1,007 yards in 2022 and 1,005 in 2023 for the Cowboys, but his efficiency dropped significantly, averaging 5.2 yards per carry in 2022 and 4.0 yards per carry in 2023.
His total touchdowns were cut in half, from 12 to six.
The Giants also view this as a fairly saturated running back market, with potential additions to Barkley, Jacobs, Pollard, Derrick Henry, Austin Eckler, D’Andre Swift, Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, and AJ Dillon. It is expected.
Will any of these running backs sign contracts with an average annual salary of $10 million?
The Giants will likely present Barkley with a credible offer, but whether Barkley will accept it or feel slighted, he will abandon his desire to be a Giant for life and find a better deal elsewhere. I don’t know yet whether I will accept it or not.
