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The New York Giants were perhaps the surprise of the 2022 NFL season.
After going just 4-13 in 2021 and firing head coach Joe Judge, the Giants rebounded in a big way this past year.
New York brought in Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to right the ship, and that he did. The Giants went 9-6-1 to earn the NFC’s second Wild Card spot before knocking out NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings in the first round.
But now things get a bit trickier for the Giants.
Fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones had the best year of his young career. But Jones is now a free agent after the team declined his fifth-year option. Also set to enter free agency is superstar running back Saquon Barkley, who returned to a Pro Bowl level in 2022.
Jones, who recently switched agents, is reportedly seeking a monstrous contract and could well end up getting franchised tagged.
Which leaves New York in a weird spot with Barkley. The 26-year-old played just 15 games total in 2020 and 2021 due to injuries and running backs are becoming less and less valued by NFL teams each year.
Giants And Saquon Barkley Have A ‘Gap’ In Contract Discussions
According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Barkley and the Giants aren’t close to agreeing upon a new contract.
As of the latest talks, a gap still exists. The Giants are not going to go much higher than an annual average of $12.5 million. They could increase their offer as far as guarantees. The Giants have little interest in having Barkley play the 2023 season on the franchise tag for $10.1 million because they are unwilling to eat up so much of their cap space on a running back. In the first year of Chubb’s new contract, 2021, his salary cap number was $4.7 million. That is more in line with what the Giants are thinking for Barkley.
NFL free agency begins officially on March 13. If Barkley and the Giants don’t come to an agreement before then, the superstar back could well find himself in a new city in 2023.