Beat writer links Giants' Saquon Barkley with NFC East rival

New York Giants beat writer Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com believes the Philadelphia Eagles should target New York running back Saquon Barkley assuming the Giants let Barkley reach free agency when the new league year opens in March. 

"Whatever the price is, the Eagles should consider signing Barkley because he is the type of talent and leader that could push this offense to another level," Brookover wrote for a piece published Friday. "The league’s history is filled with running backs who left one city for another and became the primary reason their new teams won the Super Bowl." 

Barkley has repeatedly said he wants "to be a Giant for life" but acknowledged Wednesday he could embrace "a fresh start" elsewhere if New York general manager Joe Schoen doesn't make an offseason contract offer the 26-year-old's camp deems is "fair" and "makes sense." Meanwhile, Brookover suggested that Barkley could reach a new ceiling with Philadelphia's stellar offensive linemen as teammates similar to how Christian McCaffrey went from being a star with the Carolina Panthers to a Most Valuable Player candidate with the San Francisco 49ers.

"I think his stats would be similar to what (McCaffrey) is doing," Eagles cornerback James Bradberry told Brookover when asked how Barkley would perform featuring for a contender such as Philadelphia or San Francisco. "That’s not a knock on (McCaffrey). They’re both great backs. I think they’re pretty much similar players. They’re both very, very quick. They run the ball hard ... and they also can make plays coming out of the backfield."

Schoen could make things interesting by retaining Barkley's rights for a second consecutive year via the franchise tag. Jordan Raanan of ESPN mentioned earlier this week that a second tag on Barkley would cost the Giants around $12.1M, but it's worth noting that tag would essentially become a placeholder as the sides negotiated a potential long-term agreement throughout the spring. 

As for the Eagles, the reigning NFC champions started the ongoing season at 10-1 but then shockingly fell to 11-5. Barkley could prove to be a missing piece for the club assuming Philadelphia once again fails to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy this winter.