As Saquon Barkley continues to display the All-Pro-caliber form he did during the late 2010s, the Giants are quickly warming up to the prospect of keeping him around beyond his rookie contract.
A franchise tag presents a complicated situation, with Daniel Jones also having played better under Brian Daboll than he did for most of his first three seasons.
The Giants will be able to keep either Jones or Barkley off the 2023 market with the tag. A Barkley tag would come in around $12M, which would be a far easier price to stomach compared to a quarterback franchise or transition tag. But the team might be eyeing a Barkley extension and Jones tag.
The Giants are not afraid to pay top-market money to keep Barkley, according to Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano.
While injuries stonewalled Barkley’s path in recent years, Vacchiano adds the Giants believe he is over those issues. The running back position brings considerable risk from health and wear-and-tear perspectives, making Barkley, 25, a riskier investment. But he has continued to deliver in what has become a monster contract year.
The former No. 2 overall pick leads the NFL with 931 rushing yards. He is coming off an old-school, 35-carry outing against the Texans.
For a Giants team that has seen its receiver situation — largely through its own mistakes — crater to the point a player (Darius Slayton) the team tried for months to trade has re-emerged as Jones’ top target, Barkley has been a vital component of this surprising 7-2 start.
Contract talks emerged during New York’s bye week, but Vacchiano indicates these were not expected to produce a deal. They were instead more of a window to gauge what Barkley’s camp was seeking on a long-term accord.
Considering Barkley’s renewed health, value to the team and the salary cap set to come in well north of where it was the last time the running back market’s ceiling moved (2020), it should be expected the Giants will need to match or top Christian McCaffrey‘s $16M-per-year price.
With the Giants being open to trading Barkley this past offseason, the team being prepared to reach this price range to keep him represents quite the turnaround.
Following Big Blue’s Week 10 win, Barkley said he wanted to be a “Giant for life” (Twitter link via SNY). This differs from how Barkley addressed his impending free agency in September.
While it could have been in his best interests to take a high-end deal now, the dynamic back’s bet on himself has been beneficial so far. This situation is pointing to Barkley being either tagged or extended come 2023. Barkley’s goal of a top-market pact, however, may require him to avoid another significant injury over the Giants’ final eight games.
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