The New York Giants and star operating again Saquon Barkley are at a crossroads once more this offseason. The window to use the franchise tag to gamers headed without cost company opened this week now the dance begins.
Barkley is angling for a multi-year take care of ensures that can make him a Large for the foreseeable future. The Giants are wrestling with the thought of paying a operating again large cash in a league wherein the place has been getting devalued with every passing season.
Final yr, the Giants slapped the tag on Barkley and finally got here to phrases on a modified one-year deal. This yr, the tag worth shall be roughly $12.1 million and Barkley will once more refuse to signal the tender which can ship each camps again to the negotiating desk.
WFAN hosts Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber each chimed in on how they imagine the Giants ought to deal with the state of affairs this time round.
“The New York Giants need to maintain Saquon Barkley,” Evan mentioned. “However let me begin off with the primary factor that stored leaping into my head. Oct. 31, 2023 that was the NFL commerce deadline. Let me ask you this, in the event that they couldn’t commerce Saquon Barkley on Oct. 30 and October 31, why months later?
“Wouldn’t it be OK to method let him stroll away for nothing? That looks as if an entire, utter contradiction. So, in my view, the Giants made their resolution on October 30. They didn’t commerce Saquon, they wouldn’t even hear on commerce affords. So what probably might have modified?”
Barber, a former All-Professional operating again who’s the staff’s all-time main rusher, believes the Giants need to look behind the numbers on the intrinsic worth Barkley brings to the franchise and its fan base.
“Saquon Barkley isn’t absolutely obligatory, however my emotion to Saquon is one thing that I believe quite a lot of Large followers really feel and it’s, I really like this child,” Tiki mentioned. “I beloved him when he got here in.
“He’s the proper instance of a star participant that you’d need on this staff. So emotionally, you wish to maintain on to that man as a result of he’s an instance of men who’re the favourite participant on the staff, ending their careers as a Large or no matter staff it’s. . . I really feel like he ought to be that man.”
Each sentiments are legitimate. The Giants need to weigh their choices right here as they’ve little or no wage cap room to suit all of their key personnel beneath one roof.
The Giants have till March 5 to put the franchise tag on Barkley. Free company begins on March 13.
