Barkley is a free agent who wants to be paid like a star, and the Giants have expressed no interest in franchise-tagging him.
The NFL New Year begins on March 11. By then, and after months of soul-searching and evaluation, NFL general managers should have a good idea of what they want to do with their teams. In New York, the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley have had months to decide where they go from here, and it looks as though the parties won’t be doing it together.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen has said all the right things about wanting Barkley back, but he also added that the Giants would do what is best for the organization. That’s code, for they will pay him what they think he is worth, and Schoen seems set on not overpaying running backs. If he wanted Barkley back so badly, he would have given him an extension last year.
There’s still time, but it’s hard to believe there will be a change of heart. The Giants seem set in their ways, and Barkley intends to get paid what he deserves. Clearly, Barkley wasn’t happy the Giants didn’t value him enough to give him an extension last year. This time, he can use his power to make a point.
It’s hard to blame Barkley. The current Giants front office didn’t draft him. Dave Gettleman did, selecting Barkley with the #2 overall pick in 2018. Since then, the outcome has been clear: Barkley has been the Giants’ best player, at least for the past two years, but NYG hasn’t won much with him. So it’s easy to see where the team is coming from.
What options are available for the Penn State alum? How about the Houston Texans? They have the cap space to pay him, and he could certainly make Stroud’s job easy. It’s tantalizing to imagine Barkley teaming up with quarterback sensation CJ Stroud. Barkley would also look great in Philadelphia green, and the Eagles have plenty of cap room to pay him. And Charles could be a difference-maker for the Ravens, making Lamar Jackson’s job easier than it is now.
The bottom line? The Giants have approached Barkley’s demands by saying it’s a business, and Barkley should reciprocate by doing what’s best for him. We know he could take a below-market deal from the Giants, but Barkley has little to gain by staying in New York. It’s doubtful that the Giants will have a breakout year, and there are opportunities for him to get a shot at playing for a Super Bowl contender.
Nobody should fault the Giants for moving on, either. Running backs tend to be dispensable, and teams get by with an average running back and rely on the passing game. Besides, every season, Barkley misses games with injuries.
It makes more sense for the sides to part ways than to figure out how to keep Barkley in a Giants jersey. All signs seem to point to an amicable divorce.
