It certainly seems like we have seen the last of Saquon Barkley in a New York Giants uniform.
Big Blue general manager Joe Schoen decided not to use the franchise tag on Barkley, which means the former #2 overall pick will hit free agency next week.
Breaking: The Giants are not placing the franchise tag on RB Saquon Barkley, sources told @AdamSchefter.
Barkley will become a free agent. pic.twitter.com/YcpQ69SJZ4
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2024
With the Giants in rebuilding mode and Barkley trying to resurrect his career, ideally on a contending team, a fresh start seems to be best for both sides.
Due to injuries and inconsistency, Barkley’s tenure in New York has to be looked upon as a disappointment.
Of course, the Giants lack-of-talent, especially on the offensive line, has a whole lot to do with that. In many ways, Barkley was set up to fail due to all of the poor roster decisions around him.
To his credit, Barkley was nothing but a loyal soldier with the Giants. He never made a misstep either on or off the field and has remained a respected leader every step of the way.
Saquon Barkley is a generational running back. The Giants are doing him dirty. Any smart team should be throwing him a BLANK check. pic.twitter.com/sFJ0xdH2oe
— Cam (@DrakeMayeFC) March 5, 2024
He has admitted numerous times that his preference is to spend his entire career with the Giants.
He’s not someone who has been actively looking for a way out … It’s just the cold nature of the business that caught up to him.
Even with Saquon Barkley expected to hit free agency next week, he reportedly still wants to stay in New York and remain with the Giants, per @RalphVacchiano.
Barkley will stay though, “if the price is right.”
It will be curious to see what his market it and what kind of offers… pic.twitter.com/tOwRxEcFNT
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) March 5, 2024
Barkley joins Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard as free agent running backs who will be hitting the open market.
That’s a star-studded class right there. If this was 1980 the football world would be going absolutely crazy right now.
Unfortunately for Barkley, Henry, Jacobs, Pollard and a few others of note, the running back position has become completely devalued compared to what it used to be.
Productive running backs are a dime a dozen and a whole lot of their success has to do with scheme and blocking, rather than their pure skill-set.
Don’t get me wrong, of course you have to have extraordinary talent to produce, but there isn’t as much separating the “top-level” running backs from the others.
More and more organizations are adopting the approach of using young and “cheap” running backs, milking them as much as they can, then cutting bait when it comes time for them to get paid … Rinse and repeat.
If you’re lucky, you snag a running back in the late rounds like the Kansas City Chiefs did with Isiah Pacheco when they drafted him in the seventh-round (#251!) in the 2022 draft. (A lot of the time, undrafted free agents do just as well.)
As we all know, Pacheco has been an absolute monster in KC and has been a vital part of the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
ISIAH PACHECO HIGHLIGHTS 🥤 pic.twitter.com/OKSslmTHQQ
— fatty patty (@theonlydyl_) February 26, 2024
For Barkley, a return to the Giants at the right price is not necessarily out of the question – but it’s very unlikely.
As far as where he might end up, here are the seven most-likely contenders to land him in free agency…
#1. Houston Texans: With a ground game that struggled last season, the Texans have both the need and the cap space to pursue Barkley, who could add a new dimension to their emerging offense. It’s also no secret that Barkley has already been in contact with quarterback C.J. Stroud about possibly teaming up.
#2. Baltimore Ravens: John Harbaugh’s Ravens have always been a run-first team. Priding themselves on toughness and grinding, Barkley would perfectly fit into Baltimore’s culture.
#3. Los Angeles Chargers: Speaking of culture, John’s brother Jim is now in charge of the Bolts. If there’s anybody who seeks and appreciates a tough, hard-nosed run game it’s Jim Harbaugh. He would love to provide quarterback Justin Herbert with a veteran back like Barkley.
#4. New England Patriots: The Patriots have a TON of cap space and are desperately in need of juice and star-power as they enter what looks to be a very long rebuilding process. Barkley would be prioritizing money over winning if he’s to sign with New England.
#5. Dallas Cowboys: Despite owner Jerry Jones’ declaration of being “all in” for the upcoming season, financial constraints and past spending habits suggest the Cowboys might pursue a more cost-effective solution at running back. While they may not be able to afford Barkley, they sure would love to have him. And wearing the Star would allow Barkley to stick it to the Giants. (Same story with the Eagles.)
#6. Chicago Bears: The Bears are expected to draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in April’s draft. It will take a while to find out whether he lives up to the hype or not. But there will be a whole lot of excitement in Chicago and the Bears could look to bring in the experienced Barkley to help usher in their new era.
#7. Las Vegas Raiders: While the Raiders have expressed interest in a youthful quarterback, Barkley could provide stability in the backfield. New head coach Antonio Pierce will certainly look to build a bully in Vegas. While Barkley isn’t as physical as Derrick Henry, he would seemingly fit the bill just fine for AP.
.@Keyshawn believes Saquon Barkley will find a better home if he walks away from the Giants: pic.twitter.com/aWhjDnCjJV
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 6, 2024
Where is the best fit for Barkley?
What type of contract do you think he’s deserving of?
How much does he have left in the tank?
At the end of the day, where do you think he will end up???