The New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley’s representatives will meet at the combine later this month to figure out what it would take to grant Barkley’s desire to be a Giant for life while also allowing the Giants to avoid blowing all of their projected cap space.

While they hope to reach an agreement amicably, Schoen and the Giants do have the franchise tag in their back pocket, which they must file for by March 7 if they intend to use it. But, just as Barkley was not delighted with being tagged last year, he is unlikely to be thrilled if he is tagged again this year. The New York Post makes an interesting notion that the Giants not use the tag on Barkley, instead allowing him to evaluate his market value across the league and requiring him to bring any offers he receives elsewhere back to the Giants for consideration.
Such a move, as observed by the Post, would necessitate confidence and goodwill on both sides, which the Giants could earn if they take such a step; while not uncommon in the NFL, it is unusual for elite players that teams do not want to lose. The idea is that doing so would get Barkley the respect he seeks while also allowing the running back to be paid fair market value. Such an approach would also free up the cost of the franchise tag amount, which would automatically be deducted from the Giants’ pot regardless of whether the running back signed the tag, allowing the Giants to use the $12 million tag amount on other free agency contracts.
However, there is one disadvantage to this suggestion, and it has nothing to do with the mutual trust that the Giants and Barkley would require in the Post’s scenario.
By enabling Barkley to test the market and then bring back offers for the Giants to evaluate, New York is effectively allowing other clubs to negotiate for him, putting them at a disadvantage. In performing their business, the Giants set a maximum value to any player they are considering signing. In many circumstances, the value reflects what the market has determined to be the going rate. However, players will almost always demand more in terms of guaranteed money and other concessions, which the league’s disciplined cap managers will simply refuse to grant.