Fans of the New York Giants had to know it was an ominous sign when the team did not use the franchise tag on star running back Saquon Barkley last week.
On Monday, Barkley agreed to a three-year deal with the Giants’ most hated rivals — the Philadelphia Eagles — officially ending his New York Giants career, which began as the No. 2 overall pick back in 2018.
The terms of the deal are still being finalized.
BREAKING: Saquon Barkley is getting $26M guaranteed to leave #Giants for #Eagles, per source.
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) March 11, 2024
The Giants chose not to tag Barkley for a second straight season, a move that would have cost the team $12.4 million for the 2024 season.
🦅🦅
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) March 11, 2024
Giants general manager Joe Schoen expressed a desire to retain Barkley earlier in the offseason but the team’s philosophy towards the running game favors a ‘committee’ approach, meaning they weren’t about to dedicate top dollars for a running back.
Earlier in the day, three other top free agent running backs — Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift, and Josh Jacobs — all agreed to deals with new teams. The Giants were reportedly ‘in’ on Pollard, who is headed to Tennessee.
[lawrence-related id=724892,724882,724838]