Giants won’t use franchise tag on Barkley in ‘24
NEW YORK — The Giants are not franchise tagging running back Saquon Barkley again this year, a source told the New York Daily News hours before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. NFL deadline.
Barkley, 27, now will be free to gauge his value on the open agent market for the first time in his career.
It’s still possible he could return to the Giants after testing the free-agency waters. But it’s more likely he will be playing somewhere else in 2024.
Sources view the Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles as some primary
potential suitors who have the resources, need and interest to possibly sign Barkley.
There is always the chance that Barkley won’t find the value he is seeking on the open market due to an impressive and deep free agent running back class headed by the Titans’ Derrick Henry, the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler, Barkley and the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs.
But numerous evaluators in Indianapolis at last week’s NFL combine voiced the opinion that they consider Barkley to be a dynamic back. Some would love to see a team use him in the Christian McCaffrey mold, believing Barkley could serve in the same role.
So imagine Barkley lined up behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in Charm City, or paired with likely No. 1 overall QB pick Caleb Williams and top Bears receiver D.J. Moore in the Windy City.
Neither is now. far-fetched
Barkley loves New York and the Giants, but he wants to win and be compensated and deployed as a top offensive weapon. He understandably wants to be used more as a receiver in particular, a talent he believes was untapped recently in New York.
Giants GM Joe Schoen, meanwhile, is reticent to commit major money to a running back entering a pivotal third year in this regime’s build.
Schoen also is staring at a deep free agent RB market and an NFL draft with some good value in the middle rounds.
Schoen mentioned Ekeler and two of his former Buffalo Bills draft picks as attractive available RBs: the Texans’ Devin Singletary and the Colts’ Zack Moss.
Oregon’s Bucky Irving and USC’s MarShawn Lloyd, meanwhile, could be good fits as middle-round picks in April. The Giants like Lloyd, and Irving is a tantalizing player.
Optically, Schoen also benefits from letting Barkley hit the market this spring even if he does end up staying in New York.
Last year’s negotiations got ugly. Barkley vented publicly that he wasn’t pleased with leaks and inaccurate reports about contract offers that he said didn’t come from him.
He switched agents from Roc Nation to CAA after receiving some bad advice not accept one of Schoen’s earlier contract offers.
And edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said early this offseason he thought Barkley
should have been paid before quarterback Daniel Jones, after the QB landed a four-year, $160 million extension last spring but Barkley played on a oneyear tag.
Barkley played last season on a revised franchise tag, rushing for 962 yards on 3.9 yards per carry and scoring 10 total touchdowns in 14 games. A second consecutive franchise tag would have put Barkley on a $12.1 million salary for 2024, a 20% raise from last year’s $10.1 million.
If this is the end of his Giants tenure, Barkley will leave the team that drafted him second overall in 2018 having recorded 5,211 rushing yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 2,100 receiving yards and 47 total touchdowns over six seasons.