New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley wasn’t able to sign a long-term deal with the franchise when 4 p.m. ET hit on Monday. With this, it means that Barkley will play on the $10.1 million franchise tag this season for New York. However, he could also hold out of training camp.
New York Giants Don’t Reach Agreement With Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley was not the only running back to get the franchise tag on Monday. Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys also were franchise tagged, causing a lot of running backs to come out in unity on Twitter to support one another in order they get paid.
New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen stood his ground in this situation by not paying Saquon Barkley because of how bad the running back market is. A lot of people on social media want to blame Schoen for paying quarterback Daniel Jones $40 million, but quarterbacks are normally paid that kind of money these days, whether you agree with it or not.
This is pretty crazy.
RB franchise tag:
2017: $12.1M
2023: $10.1MBy comparison..
QB franchise tag:
2017: $21.2M
2023: $32.4MWR franchise tag:
2017: $15.6M
2023: $19.7MCB franchise tag:
2017: $14.2M
2023: $18.1MDE franchise tag:
2017: $16.9M
2023: $19.7MOL…
— Giants Daily (@NYGDaily) July 17, 2023
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has to show up by Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. If he holds out at all, he will be losing money throughout the course of the regular season. Barkley does not want to hold out an entire NFL season like Le’Veon Bell did with the Pittsburgh Steelers a few years ago before signing a big contract with the New York Jets and never be the same.
Anyone who thinks the Giants are in trouble is out of their mind. The New York Giants have his rights, and he has to show up. Barkley is still getting paid like a top running back in the league on the tag, but the supply and demand for it isn’t as high as other positions.
This was the first time in a couple of years that Saquon Barkley was healthy for a full season. He rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. Barkley averaged 4.4 yards per carry. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards receiving. Saquon Barkley averaged 5.9 yards per catch this past season.
Take a look at all the RBs to come into the NFL last year. All of them were taken outside of the first round.
The RB market has a supply and demand issue. There are too many guys coming in every year and the amount they’re making (see the right column) is super low. pic.twitter.com/eJC2cQ3Z2f
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 17, 2023
Isaiah Pacheco was the primary running back for the Kansas City Chiefs on the Super Bowl team late last season. They also used other running backs, and a lot of Super Bowl teams use two or three running backs. It isn’t a primary position anymore, like quarterbacks, wide receivers, offensive linemen, and pass rushers.
At the end of the day, the New York Giants got it right by franchise-tagging Saquon Barkley. They can play this same game again next year with the franchise tag, but the money value would go up about $2 million more. With Saquon Barkley possibly now holding out, rookie Eric Gray from Oklahoma is going to see a lot of reps.
Gary Brightwell and Matt Breida will get more snaps as well. But don’t worry, Saquon Barkley should show up for the New York Giants by Week 1 and be ready to go.
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