Saquon Barkley is headed to free agency for the first time in his career, after he and the Giants agreed to let the market set his value rather than continue tense negotiations by exchanging offers.
So, where will Barkley sign after free agency opens Monday?
A reunion is still a possibility. The Giants want their best offensive playmaker back — just at their price. Barkley wants to see what opportunities are available elsewhere — and if there is a combination of guaranteed money, playoff chances and better blocking that outweighs his dream of being a career-long Giant.
With their quarterback and top two receivers on cost-controlled rookie contracts and $70 million in salary-cap space, the Texans are perfectly set up to dictate the market. Barkley and C.J. Stroud reportedly have been in touch about teaming up. Some influential voices in the organization believe in a bell cow over a rotation.
Barkley is the perfect fit for what is asked of a dual-threat running back in head coach Mike McCarthy’s offense. Sensing his mortality, owner Jerry Jones is going “all-in” to make a deep playoff run and wouldn’t mind stealing the face of a rival franchise. Running behind this offensive line would spoil Barkley.
GM Howie Roseman doesn’t make big investments in running backs, but he rents game-changers all the time. If Barkley is willing to take a one-year deal, he could fix some offensive shortcomings, stick it to the Giants twice, up his future value running through big holes and play for his hometown of Coplay, Pa.’s favorite team.
Word is that new head coach Jim Harbaugh has his eye on Barkley, even as the Chargers part with big contracts to get down from $25 million over the cap. “Can you imagine Justin Herbert with a great running game?” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said recently, overlooking in-house free agent Austin Ekeler.