Giants 2024 UFA Primer: RB Saquon Barkley

Is the Giants' decision regarding running back Saquon Barkley as difficult as it seems?

Saquon Barkley, RB

Height: 6-foot 
Weight: 232 lbs.
Age: 26
NFL Exp.: 6 seasons
College: Penn State

In 2018, the New York Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in the draft. Over the six seasons Barkley has played in the league, he’s delivered various performances highlighting just how brilliant of a talent he can be. But to say that his tenure has gone as planned is certainly far from being the case.

As a rookie, Barkley set the bar for himself and illustrated how dynamic of a force he can be. In 16 games, he rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns while reeling in 91 receptions for 721 receiving yards and four additional touchdowns. His breakout season led him to win the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and land his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Despite his breakout performance, Barkley’s budding career took a turn for the worse over the next three seasons. After sustaining a high ankle sprain during Week 3 in 2019, Barkley returned over Week 7 but struggled to produce numbers similar to those of his rookie campaign. In 13 games played, Barkley rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns on 217 attempts while also finishing with 52 receptions for an extra 438 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse, they somehow did over the 2020 season. During the Giants' Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears, Barkley suffered a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the season. In 2021, Barkley made his return. However, injury and health setbacks continued to cripple his success once again. Come Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, Barkley rolled his ankle and missed the next four games.

Following his return over Week 11, Barkley didn’t look the same, nor was he given the workload he received in previous years, leading him to have his worst season on paper in 10+ games played. In 162 rush attempts in 2021, Barkley finished with 593 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry, his career low excluding his shortened 2020 season.

But with the Giants deciding to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2022 season, Barkley turned things up a notch in hopes the Giants would re-sign him to a new contract. In a career-high 295 attempts, Barkley rushed for 1,312 yards (also a career-high) to go with ten rushing touchdowns while coming away with 57 receptions for 338 receiving yards, leading him to be selected to his second Pro Bowl.

Instead of receiving the new contract, the Giants opted to franchise tag him, the running back signing a modified tag at the start of training camp. This year, the Giants and Barkley will again go through negotiations to get a resolution each side can live with. 

New York Giants Position Review: Running Backs

2023 Recap

Similarly to 2019, Barkley’s follow-up performance in 2023 didn’t match the standard he re-established in 2022. Despite missing three games due to an ankle sprain sustained in Week 2, Barkley managed to still finish with 962 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 247 attempts. Had he played in the three games he missed, he likely would have finished with over 1,000 rushing yards and possibly reached ten rushing touchdowns.

But the biggest issue with Barkley throughout 2023 came down to consistency. Naturally, a chunk of his success depends on the offensive line, which has seen much better run-blocking seasons. However, Barkley still received a lot of reps and opportunities to produce, yet somehow, he fell short of reaching the markers many thought he would hit.

The two most concerning numbers from the 2023 season were Barkley’s yards per attempt (3.9) and yards per game (68.7). Both averages were Barkley’s second-lowest over his career, with his career lows in yards per attempt (3.7) and yards per game (45.6), each taking place over 2021.

Barkley only had one 100+ yard rushing performance this season, while at the same time, finished with less than 50 rushing yards in four games, two of which occurred in the last two games of the 2023 campaign.

The bright spot of Barkley’s 2023 season was his impact on the receiving front, finishing with 41 receptions and 280 receiving yards while matching his career high with four receiving touchdowns. Considering how inconsistent and off-kilter the Giant's offense was all season, Barkley’s off-year wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked.

Why the Giants Should Re-sign Him

The Giants should keep Barkley for a lot of reasons. The first and most important reality is that the man is a two-time Pro Bowler and produced two excellent rushing performances over six years, which, simply put, not many running backs will achieve in their lifetime. In addition, Barkley’s 2019 and 2023 seasons were not as disappointing as they appeared, seeing how well he played from scrimmage.

But another reason why the Giants should keep Barkley boils down to his commitment and loyalty to the team and his dedication to establishing a special legacy with the Giants. At 26 years old, Barkley is starting to transition into his physical prime after experiencing a volatile three-year stretch between 2019 and 2021 riddled with injuries, coaching changes, and one inconsistent offensive line.

Why Giants Shouldn’t Re-sign Him

The Giants have been through quite the six-year journey with Barkley. From the highs to the lows, his career hasn’t panned out ideally the way the team hoped for, though that's not all on Barkley. And following a peak season as a rookie that he’s only managed to replicate once (in 2022), the Giants just might not want to commit to that big of a contract to a running back that could significantly hinder their cap space in the future, more or less, this upcoming season.

The Giants have to be realistic about the role injuries play in Barkley’s future with the team. Not only did he sustain an ACL tear that sidelined him most of the season in 2020, but he’s now had three ankle sprains over his six-year career, two of which occurred on his right foot. That’s not a good trend, considering the potential investment it might take to retain him.

Keep or Move On?

The one word that comes to mind when thinking about the relationship Barkley has had with the Giants is "patience." From his injuries to stalling contract negotiations to dealing with so many coaching and offensive line changes, Barkley has been patient and extremely loyal towards the teams’ success first.

Barkley still has plenty left to offer and can achieve so much more should he have an offensive line that remotely operates like that of Baltimore’s, Miami’s, or San Francisco’s. The fact that Barkley made it to the Pro Bowl twice in six years, despite all his injuries and shaky seasons with the Giants, speaks volumes about his resiliency and talent.

The Giants should do their best to re-sign him to a new contract. The Giants already had the opportunity to trade him over 2023 but passed up on that and reiterated their desire to make Barkley a part of their plans. But the sticky part is committing to a contract that works for everyone. And that has to be ironed out over the offseason to avoid a second franchise tag.

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