Saquon Barkley to enter free agency, won’t be franchise tagged by New York Giants

The New York Giants will not be franchise tagging running back Saquon Barkley before the NFL’s deadline on Tuesday, which means he’ll be heading into free agency later this month, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Giants didn’t want to pay Barkley upwards of $12 million for next season so he’ll be heading to a new team unless they work out a different, smaller deal before March 13.

This season, Barkley rushed for 962 yards in 14 games with six touchdowns for New York. He also had 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns. It was just the third season in his career in which he didn’t surpass 1,000 rushing yards, but he only played 14 of 17 games. Last year, he had 1,312 rushing yards and 338 receiving yards.

The second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Penn State, Barkley has been a dominant force for the New York Giants in almost every season since. He’s earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2018) and two Pro Bowl nominations.

KPRC-2 reported last week that the Texans are on Barkley’s short list of potential teams he will consider joining this offseason and has been in communication with star quarterback CJ Stroud about joining the franchise. Houston plans to add firepower to their backfield this offseason, which could make this a perfect NFL match.

The running back class of free agents this offseason is about to be loaded. With Barkley at the top, the group also consists of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard and more.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.