New Report Suggests Fair, But Risky Negotiation Tactic for Giants, Saquon Barkley
The New York Giants and representation for running back Saquon Barkley will sit down at the bargaining table later this month at the combine in an attempt to figure out what it would take to grant Barkley's desire to be a Giant for life while at the same time grant the Giants' desire not to blow all their projected cap space.
While the hope is that they can get it done amicably, Schoen and the Giants do have the franchise tag in their back pocket, which they would need to apply by March 7 if they intend to use it. But just as Barkley wasn't thrilled with getting tagged last year, he's unlikely to be thrilled if he gets the tag again this year.
An interesting suggestion by the New York Post would be for the Giants to not use the tag on Barkley, allow him to gauge his market value around the league, and require him to bring any offer he receives elsewhere back to the Giants to consider.
Such a move, as noted by the Post, would require trust and goodwill on both sides, something that could be achieved if the Giants take such a step; while not uncommon in the NFL, it is uncommon for star players that teams don't want to lose.
The thought is that doing so would show Barkley the respect he craves while allowing for the running back to receive fair market value. Such an approach would also free up the cost of the franchise tag amount, which would automatically come out of the Giants' pot regardless if the running back signed the tag, allowing the Giants to put the $12 million tag amount toward other free agent contracts.
But there is a drawback to this proposal, and it has nothing to do with the mutual trust the Giants and Barkley would need to have for each other in the Post's scenario.
By allowing Barkley to test the market and then bring home offers for the Giants to consider, New York is essentially allowing other teams to negotiate for them, which puts them at a disadvantage.
In conducting their business, the Giants assign a maximum value to each player they're contemplating signing. In many cases, the value aligns with what the market has dictated to be the going rate. However, players will almost always want more in terms of guaranteed money and other concessions that the disciplined cap managers of the league just won't agree to.
By allowing Barkley to test the market, the risk is that a team with a lot more cap space than the Giants would construct a contract that blows the Giants out of the water. And while the Giants would likely get a comp pick if that were to happen leading to Barkley signing elsewhere, that comp pic wouldn't come until the following year (if it isn't cancelled out by other free agency moves made by the team this off-season).
In short, there is the risk of Barkley, arguably the team's best skill position player, walking away with the Giants having nothing to show for it under this scenario--not a good development for a team that is facing a pivotal third season with Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll at the helm and which requires a lot of talent across the board.
Barkley, who told the Post during an exclusive interview at Super Bowl LVIII that he "wouldn’t be against that” idea, has, per Spotrac, an estimated market value of $9.9 million APY, which translates to a three-year deal worth $29.928 million.
What isn't specified in Spotrac's projection is the all-important guaranteed money, which in this case figures around $15 million, slightly more than the estimated $12 million franchise tag amount for running backs.
But if the Giants, who last year, per multiple reports, were offering a contract similar in structure to that of Nick Chubb (Cleveland),
Barkley has missed chunks of playing time in three of his last four seasons, which all but makes it certain that the Giants, in any deal they offer to him, will likely load the contract with various performance and play-time incentives that, in the end, will push the APY to a more respectable figure than it's probably actually worth.
Whether Barkley, who is smart enough to know that the window is fast closing on his chance to earn a nice payday, accepts such a deal remains to be seen. He is also aware of reports of other teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, having interest in him if he hits the market.
But at the end of the day, Barkley's preference is to finish what he started with the Giants, which is to get the team back to playoff relevancy.
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