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Free agency should be rich with running back talent this offseason as several veterans are expected to hit the open market.
One of those is Giants RB Saquon Barkley, and general manager Joe Schoen shared his thoughts the former No. 2 overall pick.
“He’s a captain. He’s a leader. He’s a hard worker. I think the world of Saquon and I still think he can play. So, my value for Saquon really hasn’t changed.” Schoen told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s a guy we’d like to have back. We’ll see if we can get something done with him.”
New York is not expected to use the franchise tag on Barkley, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but the team is clearly still interested in exploring a long-term deal with him.
The 27-year-old is coming off a bit of an underwhelming season where he rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns while adding 41 catches for 280 yards and four touchdowns receiving.
His 2023 season wasn’t bad by any means, but it was certainly a step down from his 2022 campaign when he ran for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns.
According to Spotrac, Barkley is expected to receive a three-year, $29.9 million contract ($9.9M per year) this offseason.
Whether that will be from the Giants remains to be seen, but when healthy, Barkley is still one of the best running backs in the league. If a team can get two-time Pro Bowler for less than $10M a year, that feels like a steal.
The running back position has never been valued less, which could help New York in its contract negotiations. However, Schoen knows the biggest unknown is how much Barkley values himself.
“I can’t predict what’s going to happen with the running back market. We’ll have a better feel here in a couple of weeks,” Schoen added. “There’s a lot of uncertainty as you go into free agency because teams can re-sign their players.”
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