The New York Giants suffered a major loss hours into the NFL’s legal tampering period in free agency. Star running back Saquon Barkley opted to sign elsewhere, agreeing to a massive contract with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
It is a three-year deal worth $37.75 million, as Barkley finally cashes in after being franchise-tagged by the Giants last offseason and not getting a long-term contract done. He, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard, who all experienced the icing running back market in 2023, signed multi-year deals in free agency.
However, Pollard and Jacobs chose teams in the opposite conference. Barkley is landing with a bitter NFC East rival, which will sting for a long time for Giants fans. Many had come to grips that Barkley would be departing, as the writing was on the wall for weeks.
New York opted to lot place the franchise tag on him, meaning he would hit the open market for the first time in his career. He would have a chance to shop for the best offer and it came from the Eagles.
The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans were also in the running for his services. But, Chicago dropped out of the race after signing D’Andre Swift to a three-year deal shortly after the moratorium began. Swift spent last season with the Eagles, opening the door for them to spend lavishly on Barkley.
Arguably the most surprising thing to come out of this is that the Giants never made Barkley an offer. According to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post, a contract wasn’t presented to him, making it an easy decision on his part to go elsewhere.
Based on that report, it is fair to assume that the Giants and their decision-makers knew it was time to move on from Barkley. Replacing him will not be easy as he was not only productive on the field but a respected leader in the locker room as well.
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have their work cut out for them finding a replacement for Barkley. New York’s offensive game plan is going to change drastically as Barkley has been at the heart of it for the last six seasons.
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