The Los Angeles Chargers have been rumored to be an ideal landing spot for the 27-year-old former second overall pick in the 2018 draft. Coach Jim Harbaugh has emphasized the importance of a strong running game and offensive coordinator Greg Roman has often captained a run-heavy offense.
It was announced Tuesday morning that the New York Giants won’t use the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley. The 2024 runningback tag number is $11.95 million, fully guaranteed. Tagging Barkley would have given him a nearly $2 million raise, placing him fifth highest-paid among running backs.
Why This Benefits the Los Angeles Chargers
The biggest benefit to the Chargers is the general depreciation of the running back position. 1.) There won’t be too many teams in the market for Saquon Barkley. 2.) RBs have had to pull out all the stops to get teams to the bargaining table.
Last season, Barkley’s and Josh Jacobs‘ teams opted to tag them rather than negotiate a new contract. Austin Ekeler was given the green light to find greener pastures and garnered no serious offers. And Johnathan Taylor had to demand a trade and hold out to get a contract extension. He ended up coming out with a nice contract, but he didn’t come close to resetting the market. He is the third highest-paid running back in the league.
Realistic Contract Number For Saquon Barkley
In recent years, high-caliber free-agent running backs have signed contracts worth around an average of $7 million per year. Both Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook were in that range and they were also about Barkley’s age at the time.
Does Barkley offer a higher upside at this point in his career? Maybe. Barkley’s production was mediocre last season but would benefit from playing behind a better offensive line. He also brings nothing to the passing game. A significant factor in Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara‘s top-of-market contracts. In addition to that he has missed 25 games over six seasons, including much of the 2020 season due to an ACL tear. He missed three games in 2023 with a sprained ankle.
If the Chargers think that Barkley is the key to unlocking the offense they can offer him a slightly richer deal, between $8-$9 million per year to ensure he is in powder blue for the next few seasons. This largely depends on his expectations heading into free agency, which could be wildly unrealistic. If that is the case, the Chargers should look elsewhere.
