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The Chicago Bears have assembled a backfield by committee, though one of the NFL’s most dynamic rushers is mired in a financial dispute with his current team.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who was named among the Bears’ top offseason targets in 2023, announced that he will not attend the Giants’ mandatory minicamp this week due to an inability to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. Barkley made the statement on Sunday, June 11, at his youth football camp in Jersey City, New Jersey. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the running back’s comments via Twitter.
“As I have previously stated, I’m not looking to set any contract records. I’m not demanding to be the highest-paid player at my position. I understand the market,” Barkley said. “My goal is just to be compensated respectfully based on my contributions to the team on the field and in the locker room. I’ve been in talks with the Giants throughout the offseason. If, at some point, there’s a deal that is fair to both sides of the table, I’ll be ready to sign.”
Saquon Barkley’s Financial Future at Risk on Franchise Tag Deal With Giants
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GettyRunning back Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants adjusts his helmet before a game against the Seattle Seahawks in October 2022.
New York applied the franchise tag to Barkley ahead of his sixth professional season. The move keeps him under contract for one year at a price just shy of $10.1 million.
It is unsurprising that Barkley is displeased with the arrangement. Most NFL players loathe the franchise tag because, while the one-year contract is fully-guaranteed, it puts their long-term financial prospects at risk. The league is already known for rarely guaranteeing the entirety of multiyear deals, and a down season or serious injury can greatly impact a player’s earning potential, which renders playing on a one-year franchise tag a serious financial risk.
Barkley is coming off of a Pro Bowl campaign in 2022, in which he tallied 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 295 carries, per Pro Football Reference. The running back also caught 57 passes for 338 yards. It was Barkley’s second Pro Bowl campaign of his career, the first coming when he was a rookie in 2018.
However, Barkley suffered a torn ACL in 2020 that cost him 14 games. His rehabilitation to a top-end performer was gradual, as he played in just 13 of 17 contests in 2021 and produced only 593 rushing yards that season.
Barkley will play the upcoming year at the age of 26, which means a healthy and productive campaign is likely to land him a lucrative multiyear contract with either the Giants or another organization. But a second serious injury, should it occur, will compromise his leverage at the negotiating table — a scenario that is more problematic for a running back than almost any other position considering how devalued the job has become in the modern NFL.
Bears Have Draft Capital Necessary to Trade for Saquon Barkley
GettyQuarterback Daniel Jones (right) of the New York Giants hands off to running back Saquon Barkley (left) during a game against the Indianapolis Colts in January 2023.
The Bears currently have more than $32.5 million in salary cap space and eight picks in the 2024 NFL Draft at their disposal, including two first-round selections.
The Carolina Panthers traded running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers last season for the price of four draft picks, which included a second-rounder, third-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2023 as well as a fifth-round pick in 2024.
Barkley carries similar value to McCaffrey, which means his trade price will be steep should the Giants decide to put him on the market. That scenario is far from a guarantee, even if the two sides can’t agree to a long-term contract ahead of the season, though it is a possibility.
Chicago would not have to mortgage its entire 2024 draft to obtain Barkley, should the option to do so present itself. However, next year, the Bears’ second- and third-round picks combine to create a realistic jumping-off point for future negotiations.
That is a high price to pay for a running back, though the Bears might value the position more than most teams based on how they played offense in 2022. The team led the NFL in rushing last season with 3,014 total yards (177.3 yards per game).
Chicago will undoubtedly try to run quarterback Justin Fields less and encourage him to throw more this year, though his dual-threat ability renders a high-end back like Barkley more valuable to the Bears’ offense than it might be to several others across the NFL.
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