New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has said every option is still on the table when it comes to running back Saquon Barkley, it still seems unlikely that the team will franchise tag its superstar running back for a second consecutive season. With a long-term deal looking improbable as well, it appears that Barkley will be leaving the only NFL team that he has ever known in free agency this offseason and wearing a different-colored uniform this fall.
Despite the recent trend of undervaluing running backs, Barkley is an integral piece to the Giants offense. In an ideal world, the team would sign him to a long-term deal, but outside of that applying the franchise tag for around$12 million for one season is the best option.
The Giants are making a mistake if they don't franchise Barkley, but they made an even bigger mistake in allowing the situation to get to this point to begin with.
The Saquon Barkley situation shouldn’t have gotten to this point
The real problem is that it never should have gotten to this point to begin with. The Giants will make a wrong decision this year if they don't franchise-tag Barkley, but they had already made a bigger mistake last year by signing Daniel Jones to a long-term deal instead of the Giants RB.
The four-year, $160 million contract extension Jones signed with the Giants is looking like a monstrosity, and the QB never should have got that money to begin with. If the Giants were going to spend the cash, they would have been much better off investing it in Barkley instead of Jones. Barkley could have been extended for significantly less than $160 million, he is more impactful to the franchise, and giving that much money to Jones looks like a terrible investment so far.
Jones had one decent year that came at just the right time. Even with the QB reaching a level in 2022 that he might never reach again, it was still far from enough to bring the Giants even close to being legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
The Giants’ front office should have recognized that, along with realizing that the prospects of a major breakthrough for their signal-caller were low. Barkley has consistently indicated that he would like to be a Giant for life, and if a reasonable deal could have been had it would have been a much wiser use of financial resources than the Giants tying themselves to Jones.
The bottom line is that New York’s front office made a mistake by choosing Jones over Barkley, and they are likely to lose Barkley as a result, thus compounding their issue.
Running backs can still be valuable contributors
For all the talk of how running backs are less important in the modern era of football, they can still be valuable. That is especially true when there is no known quantity at the quarterback position. If the Giants keep Saquon Barkley on the franchise tag, they would at least have one star player capable of striking fear into a defense and making game-changing plays.
An elite running game would make life somewhat easier for Jones and the pass catchers by taking the defense’s attention off of them. While that might still not be enough for Jones to become a positive contributor, it would be exponentially better than how the Giants can expect their offense to look if they put the pressure on Jones's shoulders to carry the team.
Barkley can have a Marshawn Lynch-type effect on New York's offense. Russell Wilson hadn't quite become Russell Wilson yet when the Seattle Seahawks were at their best, but the team still found incredible success. That was because Lynch allowed Wilson the flexibility to pick and choose his spots. This helped the young quarterback limit his mistakes while he grew and adapted to the NFL.
This isn't to compare Jones to Wilson. It is highly unlikely that Jones will even become half of the quarterback that Wilson was at his peak. Due to his recent struggles, people forget how good Wilson was at the prime of his career. However, the parallels are still there between the Seahawks teams of the early 2010s and the current Giants squad. Barkley is an extremely effective runner. He may not have the pure power of Lynch, but he is faster and more athletic.
The Giants RB is a well-rounded player who impacts the game in multiple areas
Saquon Barkley isn’t just a runner, though. He is also one of the best backs in the league when it comes to the passing game. This is incredibly useful to a player with the archetype of Jones who often needs to rely on checkdowns. Barkley can take a dump-off pass, break multiple tackles, juke defenders, and create an explosive gain after the catch.
He's also a capable route runner who can get open on deep-breaking routes downfield. This effectively makes him an extra receiver, which puts increased stress on the defense. It allows for more creative play calls and the more pressure the defense is under, the more likely they are to make a mistake and let somebody run wide open.
Those mistakes are a gift to a young quarterback. They can help him gain confidence and create big plays. Barkley creates easy opportunities for completions in the passing game, and that can be invaluable to Jones and the rest of the offensive unit.
Overall, Barkley’s versatility is impressive, and the Giants are a better team because of it. That is why not signing him to a contract extension last year was a mistake, and it would be an even bigger mistake to let him go this offseason.
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