The New York Giants have some important decisions to make in the coming weeks. The window to franchise tag players opened on Tuesday and it will be interesting to see how things play out for New York this year.
Last year, the franchise tag ended up being used on running back Saquon Barkley. The Giants prioritized getting a long-term deal done with quarterback Daniel Jones, which was completed right before the franchise tag deadline buzzer. With Jones under contract, the tag was placed on Barkley.
No long-term deal was agreed upon and Barkley remained unsigned heading into training camp. Not wanting to mess things up for his teammates, Barkley signed an adjusted franchise tag for $10.1 million to play in 2023.
NFL News & Rumors: Saquon Barkley & New York Giants Updates
Fast forward to today, and the two sides are in a similar position. Barkley is a free agent and the team has the franchise tag at its disposal to use if they want to keep him in town again. This time the tag would cost $12.2 million.
As shared by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, there are some scenarios in which the Giants would use the franchise tag on Barkley again. One of those scenarios would be as a placeholder for the two sides to work out a long-term deal.
However, Raanan doesn’t see things going that way. He doesn’t expect the Giants to place the franchise tag on Barkley and potentially pay him $12.1 million in 2024. But, the two sides are going to talk next week when the NFL Combine starts. They will have until March 5th, at 4 p.m. ET to decide on using the franchise tag or not.
This is a tough spot for the Giants to be in. The running back position has been devalued around the league as teams are no longer committing big money to the position. But, losing Barkley is something that would have a lasting impact on the team.
NFL News & Rumors: Saquon Barkley & New York Giants Updates
In the locker room, Barkley is a respected veteran and one of the players everyone looks to for leadership. Replacing someone of that caliber is not an easy thing to do as it cannot be manufactured, it needs to come naturally.
On top of what he brings from a leadership perspective, he is also the most important player on the Giants’ offense. They find the most success when he is on the field, as their calculated risk in paying Jones last offseason and using the franchise tag on Barkley, instead of doing the opposite, has proven to be costly.
Hopefully, the two sides can figure out a compromise that keeps Barkley in town. If not, the Giants are creating another sizable hole on a roster that already has plenty of needs to be filled this offseason.
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