Getty The Giants can base Saquon Barkley's next deal on what one Pro-Bowl RB earns.
Saquon Barkley or Daniel Jones? That’s the dilemma looming ahead of the New York Giants after the 2022 NFL season is in the books. Ideally, general manager Joe Schoen would like to secure both players for the long haul, but finding the cash for those new contracts won’t be easy.
Using the franchise tag might be the only way for the Giants to avoid paying Barkley on a par with Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey is the highest-paid running back in the league, but he’s not the Pro Bowl ball carrier the Giants should be using as a “reasonable range” for Barkley’s next deal.
Is Nick Chubb the Benchmark for Barkley’s Contract?
Former sports agent Joel Corry told Heavy’s Senior NFL Reporter Matt Lombardo how Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb is the more sensible benchmark for when the Giants come to pay Barkley.
Following what the Browns did with Chubb makes more sense because Corry’s “not going anywhere near Christian McCaffrey’s deal if I’m the Giants. I’d be more comfortable in the Nick Chubb range as the Giants with the franchise tag in my back pocket.”
Lombardo explained why “Chubb’s contract could be a reasonable range for Barkley and the Giants. In 2021, the Browns committed $36.6 million to Chubb over four years, including just north of $17 million fully guaranteed. The extension makes Chubb the sixth-highest-paid running back by AAV in the league.”
The Giants could afford those numbers, with Spotrac.com predicting Schoen will have $53.5 million to work with under next year’s salary cap. That much room can help the Giants prevent Jones and Barkley from entering free agency.
Fortunately, Barkley’s already made it clear he’s open to finishing his career in Giants Blue:
“I want to be a Giant for life and I’ve been vocal about that. If the conversation gets brought up again, we’ll go from there”
– Saquon Barkley on signing a contract extension with the Giants
Barkley and the front office even engaged in contract talks during the team’s bye week. Those conversations bore no fruit, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported “Barkley surely will have his sights set on becoming one of the NFL’s highest-paid running backs, if not the highest. Christian McCaffrey’s deal averages $16 million a season.”
McCaffrey’s deal is a tricky template for the Giants to follow at the same time they’re trying to keep a winning quarterback in the fold. Players at football’s most important position will always command a fortune on the open market, but Barkley is arguably a more valuable commodity than Jones at this point in the Giants’ rebuild.
Saquon Barkley Has More Value Than Daniel Jones
Barkley’s immediate future is a more pressing concern, since he’s the NFL’s leading rusher and the lone elite talent on the Giants’ offense. Springing Barkley for big gains has become the defining feature of the unit, with NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger highlighting some of the ways the Giants are making it happen:
.@Giants @saquon is the @NFL leading rusher after 10 weeks and after setting a personal best of 35 Carrie’s on Sunday. It was a slow start but that can happen. The defense kept the score down and Kafka/Dabol kept the Saquon Train rolling. Formula is working #BaldysBreakdowns
Barkley has made Jones a better, more efficient quarterback. It’s not fair to say the Giants are winning in spite of Jones, who is playing solid football.
Yet, it is easy to believe any number of other QBs could thrive in a structure based on a stout, opportunistic defense and a dynamic, ball-control running game. Jones is also thriving thanks to expert tutelage from head coach Brian Daboll, who developed Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills, while offensive coordinator Mike Kafka used to be Patrick Mahomes’ position coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daboll and Kafka could work similar wonders for another passer, whether that’s a free agent or a rookie. Finding a starter-ready quarterback is never easy in the NFL, but not many running backs are as gifted as Barkley, and paying marquee talents should be a team’s priority, no matter what position they play.
If push comes to shove and the Giants have to make a choice, Schoen should focus on paying Barkley.