One of the best players in Penn State football history isn’t expected to be franchised-tagged, and his name is Saquon Barkley.
Per a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Barkley and the New York Giants will speak with each other and look into a deal, but the team is “unlikely to tag him for $12,109,200.”
The Giants will speak with free-agent-to-be running back Saquon Barkley and explore a deal with him, but they are also unlikely to tag him for $12,109,200, per sources. https://t.co/ektTdtZSaH pic.twitter.com/PspdR7W0V3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2024
Barkley has been with the Giants since the team drafted him with the second overall pick in 2018. This past season, he rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns, averaging around four yards per carry.
Both Barkley and the Giants were better in 2022. That season, Barkley rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and the Giants made their first playoff appearance in six years, upsetting the Vikings in Minnesota before falling in the divisional round. Barkley becomes a free agent March 13, and another reporter, Alex Amster of Amster Reporting, wrote that the Giants and Barkley are unlikely to agree on a long-term deal. The parties have been in talks for a while, and Barkley signed a one-year deal with the team over the summer.
I’m told it’s unlikely that the #Giants and RB Saquon Barkley will come to an agreement on a long-term deal, per sources. Barkley will likely look elsewhere for a team willing to offer guaranteed $.
— Alex Amster (@amsterreporting) February 26, 2024
Barkley’s six seasons in New York have been up and down. They’ve featured highs, such as winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, and lows, such as missing almost all of the 2020 season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 2.
Saquon Barkley played his last game at Penn State New Year’s Day, 2017, when he rushed for 137 yards on 18 carries and led Penn State to a Fiesta Bowl win over Washington.
The day after the game, Barkley confirmed the inevitable and declared for the NFL draft, ending his Penn State career second behind Evan Royster on the school’s all-time rushing list. Barkley also holds the school record for rushing touchdowns (43) and is second on the list in total touchdowns (53).
