New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is among the biggest names potentially set to hit the NFL free agent market next month.
Barkley, 27, is slated to hit the open market after the two-time Pro Bowler found himself franchise tagged a season ago.
The question is now whether New York will use the tag on Barkley again in order to prevent him from hitting the open market.
According to Paul Schwartz of the NY Post, that’s a strong unlikelihood.
“Unlike last year, when the Giants tagged Barkley after failing to come to a long-term deal, there is no real sentiment whatsoever that they are interested in doing that this time around,” report on Saquon Barkley franchise tag situation.
The tag for Barkley a season ago stood at $10.1 million. Doing the same thing a second consecutive year would cost the Giants roughly $12 million. That’s a whole heck of a lot to pay a running back in today’s NFL landscape.
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The No. 2 overall pick of the Giants back in 2018, Barkley is coming off a 2023 campaign that saw him record 1,242 total yards and 10 touchdowns at a clip of 4.2 yards per touch.
He struggled again with injuries, missing three games. It’s been a continual issue for the former Penn State star since he jumped on to the scene as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year back in 2018. All said, Barkley has missed 25 games over the past five seasons.
Despite this, there promises to be a strong market for Barkley in free agency. He’s already being linked to the Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
At this point, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Barkley will not be back with the Giants for a seventh season.