The NFL’s franchise tag window opened on Tuesday, but it doesn’t seem to be an avenue that Joe Schoen and the Giants will take to address Saquon Barkley’s future with the team.
The star running back is a free agent after playing under a modified franchise tag in 2023 — the star running back already making it rather clear that he doesn’t want to take that route to remain with the Giants in 2024.
According to multiple reports, most notably Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the Giants are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Barkley this time around.
It’s good news for Barkley, who has often expressed his desire to remain in blue for the entirety of his NFL career but the uncertainty of hammering down a long-term contract has forced him to think about playing elsewhere. The two parties failed to reach an agreement last season, which prompted the organization to use the franchise tag.
In late January, Schoen divulged that he and Barkley’s representation will speak during the 2024 NFL Combine, which begins on Feb. 29 in Indianapolis and runs through March 3.
As things stand, it appears to be the most pivotal period to retain Barkley. If the two sides can’t reach a long-term agreement to keep him in the Giants backfield, Schoen will have two days to exercise that unlikely franchise tag — the window closing on March 5 at 4 p.m. ET — which would destroy the rapport between team and player.
Just six days later, free agents can begin negotiating contracts with other teams, meaning the star rusher can truly find out just how much he’s worth on the open market.
The problem for Barkley, however, is that this will be an open market teeming with other notable running backs like Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Austin Eckler to help set a market that still isn’t going to net him a $14 million annual payday that he turned down last year from the Giants.
