New York Giants facing a financial decision in their backfield
The Giants have to decide which key playmaker is more valuable
The New York Giants are coming off their most successful season in over half a decade. Led by first-year head coach Brian Daboll, New York finished the regular season 9-7-1 before upsetting the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Fresh off career years and with rookie contracts ending, the backfield tandem of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley is looking to cash in.
Jones is coming off career-highs in games played, completion percentage, and yards while throwing a career-low five interceptions. (Via statmuse)
Making such vast improvements with a sub-par support group (sorry Giants pass catchers) has Jones and his representation wanting fair compensation.
The issue, however, is that Jones and New York's front office may not see eye to eye when it comes to dollar amounts.
With Jones seeking such a high figure, New York may have to strongly consider placing the franchise tag on the quarterback, while working out a deal behind the scenes.
Should New York opt to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jones, it would cost them $32.416 million for 2023 in guaranteed money. While that may seem hefty for a one-year rental, that's the cost of doing business in the quarterback market.
The other part of the equation is what to do with star running back Saquon Barkley. After playing in just 16 games in all of 2020-2021, Barkley matched that total in 2022, allocating his best season in terms of total yards and touchdowns since his rookie year. (Via statmuse)
Clearly showing he still possesses elite athleticism, Barkley was a handful for defenders week-in and week-out, despite the heavy rushing attack defenses knew the Giants were going to bring to the table.
With such a dynamic player in both the passing attack and rushing game, it seems sensible to place the $10.1 million franchise tag on Barkley right?
Not quite.
Unlike the aforementioned situation with Jones, the shelf life of a running back, (especially one with multiple season-ending injuries) can be less than half of a quarterback's NFL career.
So while tagging Barkley would save over $20 million compared to tagging Jones, the figures themselves are very different in terms of positional value and average wage per position.
For reference, only three running backs make $15 million or more per year with Christian McCaffrey leading the way at a little over $16 million annually. (Via spotrac)
Compare that to over 14 quarterbacks clearing the $15 million mark and Aaron Rodgers leading the pack at an average of $50.2 million per year and you see why the cap ramifications are vastly different. (Via spotrac)
With a roster still devoid of talent in key positions (corner, receiver, edge) New York has to dig itself out of the hole the previous regime placed them in. That means that costly decisions will have to be made.
So, do the Giants risk showing current players that even team leaders like Barkley can be let go, or do they enter 2023 with more questions than answers at the most important position in football when it comes to Jones and the future at quarterback?
These are questions that New York's brass will have to answer. Having to pay premium players is a good problem to have, but still a problem nonetheless.
Featured Image Via © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
