Will Saquon Stay a Giant?
FanSided
East Rutherford, New Jersey (PSF) - Saquon Barkley is a premiere running back in the NFL. The former second-overall pick, offensive rookie of the year, and pro bowler received momentous praise in the moments leading up to his being drafted. The hype he received led the way to comparisons to some all-time great running backs like Berry Sanders, making it easy to see why he was such a key factor in the New York Giants’ 2022 playoff run. As the season ended, Barkley’s contract did as well. Due to him being such a dominant asset to the Giants’ offense last season the front offense of course wanted to resign the superstar running back. However, the issue of cap space become prominent as contract talks began. During the offseason, the Giants resigned their starting quarterback Daniel Jones (a former sixth overall pick) to a contract of 160 million dollars over the course of four years with a possibility to reach 190 million dollars with incentives. This devolves into a yearly salary of about 40 million dollars. Arguably, this contract is reasonable because of where the quarterback market is currently in the NFL, but that hit to the cap space created one big issue: How do they pay Barkley?
Sports Illustrated
Considering that running backs have the second lowest salaries on average in the NFL, are mostly replaceable, and Barkley’s injury history, the Giants not wanting to create an expensive deal is understandable. However, Barkley is a key piece in the offensive success the Giants are having on the field, totaling 1426 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last season alone (two of them being in the postseason). This kind of production is not seen from an average running back, meaning that his contract cannot reflect that of one. To continue negotiations with Barkley, the Giants have placed the star running back on a nonexclusive franchise tag with a value of 10.1 million dollars keeping him on the team for next season. However, because of the lack of room in the Giants’ cap space, it is uncertain if they will be able to reach a long-term contract with Barkley. Leaving New York Giants fans to wonder if this is his last season in New York.