Giants not anticipated to raise their offer to running back Saquon Barkley

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is set to meet with Saquon Barkley’s representatives this week at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, but not much will change from a year ago.

Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports reports that the Giants may be preparing to move away from Barkley and aren’t expected to increase the offer presented to him last offseason.

In fact, Vacchiano notes, the previous offer may also be off the table entirely.

Last season, Barkley, who made $10.1 million, missed three games due to injuries. On just 3.9 yards per carry, he only managed 962 yards of running. With just 6.8 yards per grab on 41 receptions for 280 yards, he was even less successful as a receiver. Though the Giants were still only 6-8 when he was playing, they were worse off without him.

Because of this, the Giants are quite likely to use his contract space elsewhere and hunt for less expensive assistance for his position. The insider says that they don’t anticipate using the franchise tag once more, especially with the increase to $12.1 million. Additionally, it’s unlikely that they will raise the contract offer he turned down during the previous offseason.

According to reports, Barkley and his representatives turned down offers of up to $14 million year. It makes sense that Schoen isn’t pursuing Barkley financially now that he is a year older and has sustained another injury.

Schoen’s perspective may shift slightly due to the higher-than-expected cap maximum, but it seems unlikely given the abundance of other roster needs.

Barkley has stated that he wants to play with the Giants for the rest of his life, but he will have to settle for less.