Will Saquon Barkley be first domino in NFL free agency? Speculation surrounds Giants RB with Daniel Jones’ contract extension pending

Could Saquon Barkley be the first running back to sign elsewhere this off-season?

It sounds like the New York Giants are one step further from retaining Barkley and reaching a long-term deal with him. Barkley wants a contract north of $12.5 million a year and the Giants aren't likely to pay that. The Giants also reportedly have little interest in using the franchise tag on him this season, which would account for $10.1 million.

Dov Kleiman

@NFL_DovKleiman

#Giants RB Saquon Barkley is now considered likely to hit free-agency

There is still a “gap” in negotiations between the team and Barkley, per @nypost

Giants arent likely to pay Saquon more than $12.5M a year and have "little interest" in placing the $10.1M franchise tag on him

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#Giants RB Saquon Barkley is now considered likely to hit free-agency

There is still a “gap” in negotiations between the team and Barkley, per @nypost

Giants arent likely to pay Saquon more than $12.5M a year and have "little interest" in placing the $10.1M franchise tag on him https://t.co/W0QE5tMO5A

This could be due to the fact that they may have to use the tag on quarterback Daniel Jones. While it was reported earlier this month that Jones was seeking a $35 million per year contract, he switched agents and is now seeking a deal worth $45 million per year.

JPAFootball

@jasrifootball

Update: The #Giants aren’t going to pay Daniel Jones $45M per year, says @Connor_J_Hughes

“Someone close to Daniel Jones is gonna have to sit him down and help him understand what might actually be best for him is not taking the most money.”

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Update: The #Giants aren’t going to pay Daniel Jones $45M per year, says @Connor_J_Hughes

“Someone close to Daniel Jones is gonna have to sit him down and help him understand what might actually be best for him is not taking the most money.” https://t.co/DfLoUZzdWY

The Giants are reportedly not going to pay Jones $45 million a year, and rightfully so.

The team, however, does want to keep him, and they will probably use the franchise tag on him which accounts for $32.4 million this season for quarterbacks.

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Could New York Giants potentially lose both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley?

New York Giants v Washington Redskins

It's hard to imagine the Giants losing both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley this off-season.

They've been the team's starting quarterback and running back for the last four years and have led the team to the playoffs in the 2022 season.

Jones completed a career-high 67.2 percent of passes while throwing for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a career-high passer rating of 92.5.

Barkley ran for a career-high 1,312 yards while rushing the ball for a career-high 295 times.

The Giants finished 9-7-1 this season and made the playoffs as a wildcard team. They upset the Minnesota Vikings in the first round before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

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