Saquon Barkley's future with NY Giants uncertain as franchise tag window opens
Saquon Barkley's uncertain future with the New York Giants has reached a critical part of the game.
It's crunch time now and there is still time on the clock, but Barkley and the Giants are well aware that precious seconds are ticking off with every passing day. The NFL's window for teams to use the franchise tag opened Tuesday and, for Barkley, who is a pending free agent yet again, a decision is coming one way or the other.
The deadline for the Giants to tag Barkley a second time is 4 p.m. on March 5, a two-week period during which general manager Joe Schoen and Barkley's representatives are expected to provide some clarity that will determine where both sides go from here.
The Giants tagging Barkley would appear to be unlikely for a second consecutive offseason, and Schoen has expressed nothing to the contrary publicly when referencing the franchise tag and its ramifications, specifically on the salary cap.
"It's not something I want to use on a year in and year out basis, but it's a tool at our disposal," Schoen said during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 8 when asked about the franchise tag with respect to safety Xavier McKinney, another pending free agent.
Schoen told reporters last month that he planned to meet with Barkley's representatives next week at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
The Giants placed the franchise tag on Barkley at the 11th hour last March when the two sides could not come to an agreement on a long-term deal. Schoen had to thread the needle at the deadline with the Giants considering the tag for Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones, who came to agreement on a long-term deal with minutes to spare before the deadline, although Jones' four-year pact worth $160 million is only guaranteed through the 2024 season.
So there are questions about Jones' future with the Giants holding the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft this April and the quarterback recovering from ACL surgery after playing in just six games with his second neck injury in three years and the knee injury that ended his season Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.
There would be a dead cap penalty of $22 million if the Giants were to part ways with Jones after this year.
Barkley played 14 games and rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 41 passes for 280 yards and four TDs.
The Giants used the franchise tag to keep Barkley here in 2023, paying him $10.1 million guaranteed with additional incentives tied to his individual production and the team reaching the playoffs. Neither was achieved as the Giants finished 6-11 in head coach Brian Daboll's second season.
If the Giants tag Barkley a second straight time, he would receive a 20 percent increase in pay, upping the value of the one-year, guaranteed contract to around $12 million with a $2 million raise.
One scenario that could play out, provided the Giants and Barkley still hold the same desire for him to return. They could allow Barkley to test the free agent market with a handshake agreement that the Giants would get the opportunity to match the offer. The league's 48-hour negotiating period is March 11 with the official opening of free agency set for March 13.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Saquon Barkley: Giants future uncertain as franchise tag window opens
