Getty Saquon Barkley, potential Buccaneers rumors candidate
It has not been a banner year for Saquon Barkley, but, all things considered, he’s done well for himself even as his team, the Giants, have not. That makes him a perfect fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rumors file.
The Giants have been a terrible team, and are all but eliminated from playoff contention. Notable, though, is that they’re 4-5 when Barkley plays and 0-3 when he was out with an injury early in the year. Even with the time missed, Barkley is on pace for 1,083 yards rushing. So Barkley will hit the free-agent market next March as a guy who can probably be had at a bargain, but one who still has star potential in the backfield.
That is the opinion of the folks at Bleacher Report, who are predicting a Buccaneers-Saquon Barkley union this offseason.
“Given the tenuous contract negotiations and holdout that nearly lasted into August, it would be surprising if Barkley elects to return to New York in 2024,” writer Alex Kay asserted. “The team likely won’t be too desperate to have him back on a market value deal—estimated to be nearly $7 million per season by Spotrac—either, as there is a huge question mark at the quarterback position and plenty of other issues plaguing this roster.
“Although Barkley has carried this offense for the last two years, it’s clear his presence alone isn’t enough to keep this squad competitive without a viable option under center.”
Buccaneers Rumors Around RBs Will Be Plentiful
Of course, we don’t know what sort of option the Buccaneers will have under center, either, whether it is incumbent Baker Mayfield, a rookie draftee or whatever is behind Door No. 3. But we do know that a bruiser like Saquon Barkley could go a long way toward giving the offense—which has struggled in the run game—a boost.
Consider Barkley one portion of a sort of evergreen group of Buccaneers rumors, because any underappreciated star running back is going to be attached to Tampa in the coming months.
And Barkley still can play. He is 26 years old and showed last year that he is fully healthy after undergoing surgery to fix a torn ACL in 2020. He tallied 1,650 yards from scrimmage and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2022.
From NFL Now: #Giants RB Saquon Barkley tore his ACL, as the team feared immediately. He’s out for the season, and NYG must figure it out without one of their best players.
He did not, though, get a long-term contract from the Giants. After a summer holdout, Barkley caved in July and signed a team-friendly one-year deal worth $11 million, which disgruntled him at the time and obviously still annoyed him during the season.
Last month, Barkley went on a rant about his contract, saying, “Loyalty, that doesn’t mean anything. No matter how loyal, no matter how committed you are, it’s a business at the end of the day. That’s something that I’ve learned.”
Rachaad White Could Make Saquon Barkley Unnecessary
It will be interesting, though, to see how things play out in the run game for Tampa over the final five weeks of the year. Rachaad White’s numbers have improved as the year has gone on, and perhaps if that trend continues, the Buccaneers rumors connecting them to free-agent backs like Saquon Barkley will dry up.
Maybe, at least. Coach Todd Bowles, for one, has been a believer in White all along, promising that better things were ahead for the running game.
“It was kind of a build up as the offense matured and he progressed in the system – understanding what he was seeing week-by-week. You could see him playing faster. All of a sudden, it just clicked. We’re happy [with] where he’s at,” Bowles said this week.
But then, we know as much about Bowles’ future with the team as we do about Baker Mayfield’s future. And, Saquon Barkley, for that matter.