Saquon Barkley’s future with the New York Giants remains questionable as franchise tag window opens
The NFL’s opportunity for teams to deploy the franchise tag opened Tuesday, and, for Barkley, who is a potential free agent yet again, a decision is coming one way or another.
The deadline for the Giants to tag Barkley a second time is 4 p.m. on March 5, a two-week timeframe during which general manager Joe Schoen and Barkley’s representatives are expected to provide some clarification that will determine where both parties go from here.
The Giants tagging Barkley would appear implausible for a second consecutive offseason, and Schoen has indicated nothing to the contrary publicly when referencing the franchise tag and its effects, specifically on the salary cap.
“It’s not something I want to use on a year in and year out basis, but it’s a tool at our disposal,” Schoen said during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 8 when questioned about the franchise tag with respect to safety Xavier McKinney, another prospective free agency.
Schoen told reporters last month that he hoped to meet with Barkley’s agents next week at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The Giants slapped the franchise tag on Barkley at the 11th hour of March, after the two parties could not come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
Schoen had to thread the needle at the deadline with the Giants considering the tag for Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones, who came to agreement on a long-term deal with minutes to spare before the deadline, although Jones’ four-year pact worth $160 million is only guaranteed through the 2024 season.
So there are questions about Jones’ future with the Giants holding the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft this April and the quarterback recovering from ACL surgery after playing in just six games with his second neck injury in three years and the knee injury that ended his season Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.
There would be a dead cap penalty of $22 million if the Giants were to break up with Jones after this year. Barkley played 14 games and carried for 962 yards and six touchdowns. He also grabbed 41 passes for 280 yards and four TDs.
The Giants used the franchise tag to keep Barkley here in 2023, paying him $10.1 million guaranteed with additional incentives based on his individual production and the club reaching the playoffs. Neither was achieved, as the Giants ended 6-11 in head coach Brian Daboll’s second season.
If the Giants tag Barkley a second consecutive time, he would receive a 20 percent increase in pay, upping the value of the one-year, guaranteed contract to about $12 million with a $2 million bump.
One scenario that may play out, should the Giants and Barkley still share the same desire for him to return,. They may allow Barkley to test the free agent market with a handshake agreement that the Giants would receive the right to match the deal. The league’s 48-hour bargaining period is March 11, with the official opening of free agency planned for March 13.