GIANTS RB SAQUON BARKLEY TO SIT OUT MANDATORY MINICAMP AS RUNNING BACK MARKET QUESTIONS START TO RISE
New York Giants’ franchise running back Saquon Barkley confirmed to media this past weekend that he will not be at the team’s mandatory minicamp starting Tuesday, as talks between player and the organization over a new long term contract start to turn sour.
Barkley, the Giants’ second overall pick in 2018 and one of the league’s best young running backs, was speaking in Jersey City on Sunday. The 26-year-old was hosting a youth football camp in New Jersey this weekend, bringing back the Saquon Barkley Football ProCamp which he famously hosted at Penn State in 2019. Barkley was supported by some of his teammates at the event including tight end Darren Waller, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, safety Dane Belton, and linebacker Micah McFadden.
“As I have previously stated, I’m not looking to set any contract records,” Barkley told ESPN’s Adam Schefter regarding his contract situation. “I’m not demanding to be the highest paid player at my position. I understand the market.
“My goal is just to be compensated respectfully based on my contributions to the team on the field and in the locker room. I’ve been in talks with the Giants throughout the offseason. If at some point there’s a deal that is fair to both sides on the table, I’ll be ready to sign.”
The New York Giants placed Barkley on the $10.1 million franchise tag on March 7, a tag that the former Penn State Nittany Lion has still not signed. Barkley played 2022 on his fully guaranteed $7.217 million fifth-year option and according to multiple reports will contemplate sitting out the 2023 season if he and the Giants don’t agree to an extension.
The running back market has in recent weeks come under scrutiny with several NFL running backs publicly commenting about how undervalued the running back is in this new era of the league.
From recent stories including Los Angeles handing star running back, Austin Ekeler, 28, a $1.75 million incentive-based raise a few weeks ago instead of a long-term extension to All-Pro running back Dalvin Cook, 27, being released by the Minnesota Vikings last week due to compensation differences, it’s become apparent now more than ever, that the days of the running back being one of the most valued skill positions in football are long gone.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said on The Rich Eisen Show on May 26, “I think when you look in history, and you look at what the running back position has meant to football… Guys like Emmett Smith, Barry Sanders, some of the best guys to ever do it. These guys didn’t just play a long time but they played well for a long time.”
“I look at Derrick Henry as another example… the guy has done nothing but produce. I look at what Saquon Barkley brings to the Giants, I look at what Josh Jacobs brings to the Raiders and Austin Ekeler and all these backs. I could name Dalvin Cook, all these backs around the league who have done so many amazing things for their team.”
“They’ve been clutch,” McCaffrey went on. “They carry the ball, they catch the ball out of the backfield. They provide multiple threats, they create mismatches. They make defensive coordinators think. I think there’s a lot of value to that. Somewhere along the line, the running back position has been undervalued in my opinion for what they’re asked to do…”
“I don’t know when the value of a yard got diminished. I’m for everybody getting paid [but]… When I look at what receivers make around the league and then you look at what running backs make, we’re at the bottom of the list. You got backs who’ve had 2000-yard seasons, you got backs who’ve had 750 to 800 yards receiving… I understand we touch the ball the most but in my opinion I think we create a lot of value in doing so.”
With the shelf-life of a top running back in the league likely being age 30, more and more people are beginning to question the compensation structure of running backs in the NFL. Running backs getting into the league at 21-years-old like Falcons’ first-round pick Bijan Robinson and Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs are likely not to get their first contract extensions until ages 25 or 26, depending on whether the team uses the fifth-year option or even worse, the franchise tag.
At 26 years old, a running back in his prime would have already played half or more than half of their career and in the case of Giants running back, Saquon Barkley, playing on the tag in 2023 would mean he’ll get his big-money deal at 27 years old, just three years removed from what seems to be the consensus shelf life of running backs in the NFL.
The 2023 free agent running back market is rife with talent and superstars, as it stands, as more and more teams start to show little to no hesitancy in moving on from premiere running backs and doubling down on much younger and cheaper options.
Former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot, Vikings’ Dalvin Cook, Buccaneers’ Leonard Fournette, and Browns’ Kareem Hunt are available pickups after their respective teams moved on from them this offseason. All four running backs have an average age of 27 going into 28 and have been great contributors to their teams in the past two seasons.
The NFL’s leading rusher last season and one of the league’s best players, 25-year-old Josh Jacobs, was also placed on the franchise tag by the Las Vegas Raiders in March. Jacobs has yet to sign the tag and wasn’t available at the team’s mandatory minicamp last week. The 2019 first-round pick posted a cryptic tweet regarding his contract situation this weekend, in what is a sign that the former Alabama man intends to hold out for a long-term extension.
Dallas Cowboys’ running back Tony Pollard, 26, was also another top running back tagged this offseason. Pollard, however, signed the franchise tag back in March and was a participant at the team’s OTAs a couple of weeks ago, and at mandatory minicamp last week.
Speaking about the current running back market, Giants running back Saquon Barkley said, “They tagged the top three guys. We didn’t even get a chance to hit the open market. When we don’t get a chance to hit the open market it hurts a guy like Miles [Sanders]. It hurts all those other guys. They put the cap at $10 million. And then when they have the tag they have all the leverage, and that’s the reality of it.”
“Going to the running back market when you talk about the running back, no I don’t agree with that. I think that it [the valuation] is not fair. The Tennessee Titans are a great team but Derrick Henry is one of those guys on that team. San Fran is a great team but Christian McCaffrey is one of those guys on the team. Josh Jacobs…the list goes on and on.”
With decreased interest in the running back market and with more than a few running backs being eligible for contract extensions after 2023 including All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, Ravens’ JK Dobbins, Eagles’ DeAndre Swift, Steelers’ Najee Harris, Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, Rams’ Cam Akers, and Packers’ AJ Dillon, the running back market is about to see quite some significant changes going forward.
As for Barkley and the Giants, only time will tell if the contract situation gets resolved. The New York Giants have mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and Barkley intends to be a notable absentee. With this holdout likely to turn nasty for both player and organization, and with the impending July 17th deadline fast approaching, plenty of eyes will turn to the Big Apple as the Pro Football World waits to see what Big Blue eventually decides to do regarding their franchise running back.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Alexander Jonesi. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.