Don deal After waiting for many years, the Philadelphia Eagles have welcomed a new player.
Though he will still play a lot, Saquon Barkley’s tenure with the New York Giants is coming to an end.
When official free agency begins on Monday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo reported that the running back is expected to sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, citing sources.
With his three-year, $37.75 million contract, Barkley will be the running back with one of the highest current contracts, trailing only Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor.
For the second year in a row, the Giants decided against assigning Barkley the franchise tag, saving themselves $12.1 million. After Barkley was tagged in 2023, there was a brief holdout before a revised one-year deal was reached.
Sorted by position, the top 101 NFL free agents of 2024 show which positions have the most and least depth.
Expected to sign former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, please Aaron J. Jones
Titans acquire RB Tony Pollard from the Cowboys. Pollard signs a $24 million, three-year contract.
However, the Giants seemed to want him back—at their price, as they added veteran running back Devin Singletary later on Monday.
Reporters were told by Giants General Manager Joe Schoen, “He’s a guy we’d like to have back,” last month in Indianapolis during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
Barkley, 27, was productive in 2023. In 14 starts, he finished with 962 rush yards and six rushing touchdowns. He also had 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns. However, it was a decline from his outstanding 2022 campaign, during which he amassed 1,650 yards rushing.
In addition, since joining the NFL in 2018 as the second overall pick in the draft, injuries have dogged his career. His ankle injury from last season caused him to miss three games, which continued into 2021. In 2020, Barkley also sustained torn ACLs and MCLs, which kept him out of action for just two games.
For the second consecutive offseason, the Eagles have made significant progress at running back. They pulled off a trade with the Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft last year to acquire D’Andre Swift. Swift, who is anticipated to sign a contract with the Bears at the expense of autonomy,.
Barkley has run 147 times for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games against the Eagles (including a 2022 playoff game in Philadelphia). He has also added 36 receptions for 271 yards and one touchdown. His two games with 100 yards rushing against the Eagles came during his 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. Currently, the Giants will play their former star at least twice.
