Giants Considering Letting Saquon Barkley Test Free Agency?

The Athletic's Charlotte Carroll examined a hypothetical that seems to be gaining some traction lately: That the New York Giants should make an offer to running back Saquon Barkley early this offseason, and if he doesn't accept it, let him test free agency to see what the league thinks he's worth. Then before signing anything, Barkley gives the Giants a chance to match any offer from another team. "I wouldn't be against that. That's fair," Barkley said when posed that scenario last week. Working in Barkley's favor if he hits the open market is the fact that this year's RB class in the draft is considered weak. However, the free-agent class at the position is shaping up to be strong. The RB franchise tag is at $12.1 million in 2024, but the G-Men may prefer not to use it on a 27-year-old who missed another three games with a high-ankle sprain in 2023 and who also averaged under 4.0 yards per carry.