New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is in the midst of a bounce-back 2022 campaign after two injury-plagued seasons. He’s also set to hit free agency and might not have a long-term future with the rebuilding Giants.
Further up state in Buffalo, the Bills find themselves in a completely different situation. Despite suffering a Week 3 loss to the division-rival Miami Dolphins, Buffalo is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. However, it also lacks the balance on offense to take pressure off NFL MVP candidate Josh Allen.
This has led to former NFL quarterback and current analyst Boomer Esiason to project that a Barkley trade to the Bills could be in the cards. It’s not out of nowhere with the former No. 2 overall pick being on the trade block ahead of the start of the season. Here’s three reasons why it makes perfect sense.
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Rebuilding New York Giants should trade Saquon Barkley
If Barkley keeps at his current pace, he’s going to get paid big time once free agency starts. The market will not be limited for a dual-threat running back in today’s NFL. Why would a rebuilding Giants team meet said market when Barkley isn’t the difference between a sub .500 record and playoff contention?
Barkley’s market will be somewhere near $12 million a season over five years. If the Giants were to place the franchise tag on him, his 2023 salary would come in at that $12 million cost. It makes absolutely no sense to commit that type of money to a running back, especially with New York likely having to deal with its quarterback situation now that it’s apparent Daniel Jones isn’t the answer.
Related: Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the NFL’s best QBs of 2022
Saquon Barkley is a perfect fit in the Buffalo Bills’ offense
Buffalo runs the same offense as New York under first-year coordinator Ken Dorsey. How do we know that? New Giants head coach Brian Daboll ran this very same offense in that role with the Bills over the previous four seasons.
- Saquon Barkley stats (2022): 317 rushing yards, 6.0 average, 13 receptions, 91 yards, 408 total yards, 2 TD
Barkley, 25, is on pace to put up north of 2,300 total yards after he racked up 2,028 total yards as a rookie in 2018. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (203 career catches) would come in handy, too.
As for what he’d bring to the table in Buffalo, Barkley would be a marked upgrade over current RB1 Devin Singletary (80 rushing yards in three games this season). The Bills simply can’t continue relying on Josh Allen to be their most-consistent rushing option. After all, he leads the team in rushing yards with 113 after topping the Bills in that category a season ago.
Related: Buffalo Bills standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL offense rankings
Giants and Bills make great Saquon Barkley trade partners
First-year Giants general manager Joe Schoen has a built-in relationship with his counterpart in Buffalo, Brandon Beane. After all, he served under Beane with the Bills over the past several seasons. This connection could help a trade come together relatively quickly ahead of the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline.
Buffalo could offer up roookie second-round pick James Cook to New York, giving the team a young running back to replace Barkley. From there, the Giants would likely demand a second or third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That wouldn’t be too high of a price for the contending Bills to pay.