Both Saquon Barkley and James Bradberry have surfaced as trade candidates, though it is unclear how seriously the Giants are with those respective courses of action. It appears the team is fairly intent on moving at least one.
In pursing their goal of clearing $40M-plus in cap space, the Giants have had discussions with multiple teams about trading Barkley and/or Bradberry, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports. However, the duo is not generating too much interest. A Day 3 choice may be the max value the Giants could net for either player, Vacchiano notes. That is unlikely to move the needle for the Giants on Barkley.
Bradberry was reported to have more value than Barkley, the latter’s reputation and dominant rookie season notwithstanding. But their current values may put the new Giants regime to key decisions. They are likely to move on from at least one of the duo, Vacchiano adds, due to cap constraints.
It would be rather strange to see Barkley unloaded, given his reduced trade value after three injury-plagued years. The former No. 2 overall pick carries just a $7.2M cap number — down from $10M in 2021 — on his fifth-year option. Both Barkley and Bradberry’s deals expire after the 2022 season. Leaguewide concern exists on Barkley’s health, per Vacchiano. A high ankle sprain, ACL and MCL tears and another ankle issue have felled Barkley over the past three years. The would-be superstar faces perhaps a make-or-break season in 2022.
A Bradberry swap would give the Giants $12.1M in cap space. The ex-Panther cornerback signed a three-year, $45M deal in 2020. Dropping Bradberry would also leave the Giants shorthanded at corner. No. 1 corners are certainly more difficult to replace than running backs.
It will be interesting to see where the Giants go here. They made multiple cuts but also reached pay-cut agreements to retain Blake Martinez and Sterling Shepard. As of Monday evening, Big Blue remains over the 2022 cap.
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