It seems that the divide in negotiations between the New York Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones will have collateral damage that allows their Pro Bowl running back to test his value in NFL free agency.

The New York Giants rolled the dice last offseason by letting both QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley play out the final year on their rookie contracts. While uncommon, the move was universally supported because of the injury history and inconsistent play of both athletes. However, each was pivotal in their surprise run to the NFC Divisional Round and earned major pay increases in 2023.

However, with only one franchise tag per team, the expectation was that New York would place it on Barkley and negotiate a long-term deal with their starting QB. However, on Monday Pro Football Talk reported that with Jones looking to get more than what the Giants have offered he is now expected to be franchise tagged in 2023. Which will have a major effect on Saquon Barkley.

The Jones decision will now mean the Giants have to shuffle their offseason roster plans and allow the two-time Pro Bowler to hit NFL free agency next month. With Barkley’s stock as high as it’s been since his rookie year, we look at the four teams likely to make a hard push to sign the 26-year-old.

New York Giants

Just because Barkley will hit free agency doesn’t mean the New York Giants won’t try and re-sign him. As one of the teams with a great deal of salary cap space this offseason, they will surely use it to try and maintain the roster that was playoff caliber in 2022. Barkley was an extremely important element of their offense, and he could be hard to replace. Expect the team to be major players in his free-agent market.