The New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley’s agent will take the negotiating table later this month at the combine to try and figure out how to fulfill Barkley’s wish to play for the Giants forever while also satisfying the Giants’ wish to avoid using up all of their anticipated cap space.
Even if it’s hoped that they can work things out amicably, Schoen and the Giants do have the franchise tag in their possession; if they want to use it, they must apply by March 7. Barkley won’t likely be happy if he receives the tag again this year, just as he wasn’t happy about being tagged the previous year.
The New York Post made an intriguing suggestion: the Giants could refrain from using the tag on Barkley, let him determine his worth in the league, and demand that he return any offers he receives to the Giants for consideration.
According to the Post, such a move would need mutual trust and goodwill, which the Giants could accomplish if they make it. Although it is typical in the NFL, it is uncommon for teams to have elite players who they don’t want to lose.
By doing this, it is believed that fair market value would be paid to the running back and Barkley would gain the respect he so much needs. A similar strategy would also eliminate the franchise tag amount, which would have been deducted from the Giants’ pot regardless of whether the running back signed the tag. This would free up the $12 million tag amount for the Giants to use toward other free agency contracts.
However, there is a flaw in this plan, and it has nothing to do with the mutual respect Barkley and the Giants would need to have for one another in the scenario described by the Post.
