Saquon Barkley Not Looking to Reset Market

Barkley has been frank about his desire to remain a New York Giant.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 23, 2023 9:50 AM EST

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Editor's Note: We continue our series of takeaways from Giants' Exit Day (also known as "Baggy Day" in which we review what was said and offer some thoughts about what it means for the short and long term.

In what could be good news for the Giants, running back Saquon Barkley told reporters that he's not looking to re-set the market at his position with his next contract.

"I'm not too concerned about re-setting any markets," Barkley said. "I'm realistic. I know where I was on pace to do. But having two years filled with injuries and having a season of not performing to a level I know I can perform doesn't help."

There have been reports of Barkley looking for north of $12 million APY per season, which would put him somewhere between Dalvin Cook of the Saints and Ezekiel Elliott ($15 million) of the Cowboys.

If Barkley has a number in mind, he wasn't about to divulge it, but he does feel that he reached a goal of showing people what kind of player he is this season.

"I think I was able to show the caliber player I am and the things I'm able to do on a football field that was just something I wanted to do. That was my goal this year, and I was able to accomplish that," he said.

Given Barkley's desire to remain a Giant, would he consider offering the team a "hometown discount"?

"I gotta sit down and talk to (agent) Kim (Miala) and figure out the numbers and figure out everything," Barkley said.

"Obviously, we had that conversation middle of the season about it. But when after the bye, we put that to rest. That conversation will come up pretty soon."

Once that conversation arises, Barkley hopes the two sides can reach a deal.

"I couldn't imagine that being the last time being in a Giants uniform," he said when asked about that possibility. "But that's just the nature of the business; I can't control any of that. It comes with it. I've been vocal about how I feel, and I'm excited for the future no matter what happens."

Pat's Perspectives

Although Barkley didn't specify any number,s is clarifying that he isn't looking to re-set the running back markets is a big clue. To have re-set the market, Barkley would have required a deal worth more than the $16 million average per year (APY) 49ers running back Chrisitan McCaffrey currently earns.

So, where does that leave Barkley's potential APY? The projected franchise tag amount for 2023 is $10.1 million, so it stands to reason that Barkley will get more than that per year.

The question comes down to whether he's willing to agree to an APY falling in the $12 million range, which would put him in good company with the likes of Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, and Nick Chubb, or if he's looking to be paid a little higher, say in the $14-$15 million APY range like Ezekiel Elliott (who may end up being a salary cap cut this year) and Alvin Kamara.

Before getting into some preliminary projected numbers, we need to address the elephant in the room: the guaranteed money. There are two types of guaranteed money in a contract: fully guaranteed and total guaranteed.

Fully guaranteed means the team is contractually obligated to pay the player the amount specified at signing, regardless of the circumstances. For example, if a player has a $20 million signing bonus paid out in installments over the life of his contract, and he doesn't finish that contract, he is still owed the full amount.

Total guarantees consist of money promised when the contract is signed (e.g., signing bonus) and additional money guaranteed if the player is still on the roster.

For example, if a player has a guaranteed roster bonus, he will collect that money if he's on the roster as of March 1, 2023. If the player is not on the roster as of March 1, 2023, he will not receive that money because the condition will not have been met.

We often see this with roster bonuses that go uncollected when a player is cut before the bonus is due.

Per Over the Cap, McCaffrey tops the running backs with a 46.8 percent full guarantee on his contract. The range of the next few runnings backs immediately under McCaffrey go from as low as 23 percent to as high as 50 percent, the latter figure belonging to Henry.

The best guess is that Barkley's camp might be looking for the latter, while the Giants will likely aim for the former. The question is can the two sides meet somewhere in the middle?

The answer might be yes, but it will take a bit of creativity. A four-year deal worth about $13.5 million per year might make some sense. Within the deal, I could see there being incentives such as postseason bonuses if Barkley finishes as the league's rushing yardage leader, rushing touchdowns, Pro Bowl incentives, and even roster bonuses for each game he's active (given his injury history).

If any or all of these incentives are not met, the Giants receive a cap credit, which would, in essence, knock the APY back down to the $12 million mark, which seems to be the going APY for some of the league's better running backs.