Saquon Barkley Gets Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag By Giants | What it means

Saquon Barkley isn’t going anywhere … At least not for now.

Tuesday, moments before the NFL deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag, the New York Giants used the non-exclusive tag on Barkley. There are some key differences between the exclusive franchise tag, and its non-exclusive counterpart the Giants tagged Barkley with.

Barkley is guaranteed $10.09 million in 2023, with his full cap number counting against the salary cap if he plays under the tag, but that doesn’t guarantee he is back in the Big Apple. Because the Giants used the non-exclusive tag, 31 other teams can negotiate with Barkley, and if he signs an offer-sheet New York can either choose to match the contract or the team signing the former Penn State star, or receive two first-round picks as compensation.

We have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Saquon Barkley

Details: https://t.co/msYaPp2Ynh pic.twitter.com/F1rNECuAe7

— New York Giants (@Giants) March 7, 2023

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Why Giants tagged Saquon Barkley

The Giants’ decision to tag Barkley coincides with the team agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with quarterback Daniel Jones worth approximately $40 million per season, including $82 million guaranteed over the first two years.

New York can still work on a long-term contract with Barkley, and there’s a chance that a deal comes to fruition before the July 15 deadline for tagged players to sign a new contract.

Barkley is one of three running backs tagged this offseason, along with Tony Pollard by the Dallas Cowboys and Josh Jacobs by the Las Vegas Raiders.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career, rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 338 receiving yards.

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