As New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley heads into his fourth season, the team could be waffling on whether to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
The deadline to do so is the first week of May, but the Giants may want more security in the way of Barkley’s health. After a Pro Bowl rookie season in 2018, Barkley has been hobbled by injuries the last two seasons, missing three games in 2019 due to a high ankle sprain (which in effect debilitated him for half the season) and 14 games last year with a torn ACL.
“I think (health is) part of the discussion, and obviously we’re going to have to make a decision in the spring on whether we pick up his fifth-year option or not,” Giants general manager Dave Gettleman told reporters on Tuesday. “You know, again, it comes back to that medical question. It’s unknown, and what you have to do is get your trainer and your doctors involved and make your best decision.”
Barkley’s salary cap hit for 2021 is a sliver over $10 million. According to Spotrac, his fifth-year option cap hit would be approximately $7.2 million.
So Saquon’s fifth-year option for 2022 will cost $7.2M. No question the Giants will pick that up this spring. That would be a pay cut from his $10.1M cap hit for 2021 https://t.co/Q0mqvP7vws
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) March 10, 2021
That would be a bargain should Barkley return to his 2018 level of play or beyond.
“Every team needs playmakers, let’s be honest,” Gettleman said. “Good Lord willing, Saquon will be 100 percent and obviously he’ll make a huge difference. A healthy Saquon obviously makes a big difference, but again, you’re always looking to add good players. And, oh, by the way, we’re not playing until September, so we’ve got free agency and we’ve got the draft, and we’ll see how it plays out.”
The Giants will not have to make the decision until after the draft, giving Barkley more time to recover and the medical staff more time to gauge his rehab.
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