2024 NFL Free Agency: Saquon Barkley and The Running Back Market

Saquon Barkley

Along with Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift, and Austin Ekeler, a below-average draft class may be helpful to him.

NFL clubs may talk with unrestricted free agents on Monday and Tuesday during the legal tampering period. Free agency begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and there should be a rush of signings. Time to get out and shop!

• It makes some sense that the New York Giants decided not to tag Saquon Barkley for $12.1 million in 2024. If you did that and you didn’t give him the long-term deal he wants, there would most likely be another contract dispute. In addition, he is entering his sixth season as a running back and has a lengthy history of injuries.

Therefore, the choice made here makes some sense. I’m more curious to know what other clubs think of him.

With the potential to break big plays and be a genuine danger in the passing game, he is undoubtedly still the talented player he was when he left Penn State in 2018. And it will be valued by someone, particularly in light of the NFL draft having a below-average class at the position and many personnel people and coaches holding onto evaluations from six years ago.

Once more, I’m interested to see what happens next week.

Furthermore, I wouldn’t rule out going back to the Giants. It’s something that both parties want to happen, and whether it does or not will likely depend on how that market plays out.

• I realized I forgot to include a fantastic remark from Drake Maye from the weekend, and I believe it perfectly captures the essence of our discussion. I confronted him about what I had heard, which was that the NFL people weren’t used to his intensity during their meetings.

“We’re a strong, Christian-based family, with a little bit of a country drawl and some Southern charm,”

Maye adds, adding that she is the youngest of four sons. But ultimately, the best course of action is to go kick someone in the ass when it crosses the lines. My parents have always taught us to do that. .. I believe my three older brothers certainly have it, but it comes out of me the most because I had to deal with it growing up. Being the runt of the family and the youngest of four guys, I kind of got pushed around and beat up a little bit.

“Yes, ma’am and sir, my parents say, exuding a certain Southern charm. Nevertheless, go compete, emerge victorious, and emerge first at the end of the day.

Wilson can charge the Broncos the veteran minimum of $1.65 million for his quarterbacking skills, leaving them with $37.35 million.

Yes, he got right to the point. The Denver Broncos have paid an absurd amount for Russell Wilson over the last two years.

Uwazurike faces criminal charges for bets he made while attending Iowa State University, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely last summer for gambling offenses.

On the other hand, Seattle acquired the aforementioned veterans, as well as a few edge players (Derick Hall, Boye Mafe) and cornerback (Devon Witherspoon) who will likely be key contributors in the team’s future. In other words, things didn’t work out so well for everyone.

Money definitely shouldn’t be an object, therefore it will be intriguing to see what Wilson does next. In 2024, he is expected to earn $39 million. And regardless of what he receives from a new team, it won’t alter unless someone surpasses that threshold.

Wilson may then offer his services as a quarterback for the veteran minimum of $1.65 million, leaving the Broncos holding the $37.35 million balance. In a seasoned quarterback market where Kirk Cousins may earn $40 million a year and Baker Mayfield may make $30 million, the lesser pay should make him more appealing to teams.

Wilson could accept a larger second-year salary offer from a team. Still, there wouldn’t be much of an incentive for the quarterback to choose that over the opportunity to be free after this season unless it included guarantees.

• On the subject of cousins, I learned today that, in 2018, he was a free agent and earned $28 million annually. That was just six years prior. The quarterback market had almost quadrupled last summer when Joe Burrow signed a new contract worth $55 million annually.

So keep in mind that these are relative statistics when you see them next week. Additionally, remember that Cousins or Mayfield receiving $30 million or $40 million a year isn’t all that excessive.

Last year, we wrote a whole piece on that dynamic. There were two teams with dismissed coaches.

Mike Evans’s new two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is worth mentioning thanks to ProFootballTalk’s in-depth analysis. The $52 million that was circulating on social media (which included all the incentives and escalators) is not its basic value; it is $41 million. I could get all prickly here and tell you that I think it’s ridiculous that these fake figures are posted and that it’s all just a foolish game, but I do understand that agents utilize this information for hiring.

Even if Evans’ new contract isn’t for the $26 million it was supposed to be, securing more than $20 million annually after ten years in the league is still fantastic work. It’s also reasonable to believe that Mayfield finishes since it’s difficult to believe that Evans made his choice based only on his trust in the quarterback position.

Would the Chiefs consider Fields a backup if the bottom falls out of his market?

• Regarding Justin Fields, there are two linkages that I find at least somewhat intriguing. One is Ryan Pace, the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons (whose owner, I’ve heard, also loves Fields), who was the one who picked Fields while he was with the Chicago Bears. The other is Kansas City Chiefs coach Matt Nagy, a former Bears coach. Would the Chiefs take Fields as a backup that they could potentially develop if Fields’s market collapses? Such quarterbacking ideas have long appealed to Andy Reid.

For the time being, it seems like the unsolved issues between Cousins and Mayfield might delay negotiations with other experienced quarterbacks. Furthermore, whether Atlanta is interested in Fields may be directly impacted by the Falcons’ coaches’ relationships with Cousins (Zach Robinson, the offensive coordinator, was under Kevin O’Connell with the Los Angeles Rams, and Raheem Morris was with him in Washington).

• There’s no doubt that the leadership of the Philadelphia Eagles will be lacking in Jason Kelce. Regarding the on-field portion, though, they’re as prepared as you could want to be for handling the defeat. Cam Jurgens started 11 games at guard last year, and fourth-year player Landon Dickerson has started 46 games at the position. Dickerson played center in college at Alabama, and Jurgens played center at Nebraska. Therefore, Philly has a lot of options on how to resolve it.

Why The Baltimore Ravens made a wise decision by bringing in Justin Madubuike. It costs $22.01 million for the tag. His average yearly yield (APY) would have been far higher than what was offered by the market.

• Moreover, I applaud the Houston Texans’ decision to re-sign Dalton Schultz. Without a doubt, Tank Dell and Nico Collins were outstanding for Houston in the previous season. However, in this instance, an investment in the tight end is an investment in one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL, since C.J. Stroud depended on Schultz when it mattered most.