Bleacher Report Names This Off-Season Move as Giants' Smartest So Far
The New York Giants have been trying to make a series of prudent moves toward building out the depth on their roster.
As part of that process, Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it a point to retain as many players from last year's 9-7-1 team as possible, including receivers Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Isaiah Hodgins, quarterback Daniel Jones, and defensive end Jihad Ward.
Another player Schoen managed to retain, albeit on the franchise tag, is running back Saquon Barkley, a move that, per Bleacher Report, was the team's smartest move of the off-season so far.
It's hard to argue with the logic behind this opinion. As author Kristopher Knox noted, the $10.1 million franchise tag is a bargain for a player of Barkley's caliber who, remember, turned down a multi-year contract offer worth $12.5 million last year in hopes of striking a more lucrative deal.
The Giants, however, do not seem willing to exceed the average per year price bracket that other running backs such as Derrick Henry (Titans), Joe Mixon (Bengals), and Nick Chubb (Browns) currently fall into.
As Knox points out, one reason could be a concern for Barkley's injury history.
Last season was the first that Barkley didn't miss because of injury. While Barkley did set a new personal best in rushing yardage for the season (1,312 yards), it's worth noting that he only topped his rookie season total by five yards despite carrying the ball 34 more times.
Barkley also finished with a 4.4 yards per carry average, less than the 5.0 average he posted as a rookie. And he had seven 100-yard rushing performances in his rookie season versus four during last year's regular season campaign.
That all being said, Barkley is a special talent that seems to be tailor-made for this offense. If he does have to play on the franchise tag this year--and all signs seem to be pointing in that direction--it could end up being a blessing in disguise for both parties, as Barkley will get a chance to string together a second solid season post-injury and the Giants will avoid overpaying for him.
That all being said, the Giants and Barkley are in something of a staredown over his contract. Schoen and team co-owner have indicated this week at the league meetings that while they'd like Barkley to remain a Giant for the long term, there is a limit on how far the team is willing to go financially.
As such, it would not be surprising if Barkley waits until the last minute to sign the tag, thus holding out for as long as possible. The two sides have until July 17 to get a long-term deal done, but as long as Barkley doesn't sign the tag, he can theoretically skip the voluntary off-season program and training camp, the latter without fear of being fined.
Barkley, for his part has remained silent about having received the tag, though Mara did tell reporters Monday that the running back wasn't happy with it. And with the market for running backs having failed to materialize as perhaps Barkley hoped, the Giants have gone back to square one with negotiations, pulling their $12.5 million per year contract offered last year at the bye off the table.
With such a high-profile player locked in a contract standoff, head coach Brian Daboll will need to be proactive in not letting Barkley's potential absence become a distraction in the locker room.
“My focus is on today,” Daboll said during Tuesday's media session with the NFC Coaches. “We’ll see how it goes. We’ll go day by day. Whatever situation comes up, we’ll handle it.”
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