In free agency, will the Cowboys chase

Giants running back Saquon Barkley?

In free agency, will the Cowboys chase Giants running back Saquon Barkley?

The Cowboys’ chances of acquiring Saquon Barkley are probably comparable to the Giants’ chances of

acquiring Micah Parsons. This is the reason.

In a recent article, our colleague Mike Fisher of Cowboys Country speculated that if the Giants are

unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract with running back Saquon Barkley, Barkley

may become a free agency and sign with the Dallas Cowboys.

But hold on for a moment. Tony Pollard, who like Barkley was handed the franchise tag last season,

signed it without much fanfare because he was coming off a season-ending injury. The Cowboys already

have one running back to contend with in Barkley.

Fisher is discussing whether it makes more sense to keep Pollard because of his “fit’ in the system and in

the locker room” or whether the Cowboys should go after Barkley “as a player superior Pollard.”

Fisher’s judgment? We think Barkley is “better” than Pollard in a vacuum. Perhaps after the playoffs,

people’s perceptions of Pollard—a great player and guy—will shift.”

The Giants can put the franchise tag on Barkley once more before anyone loses their appetite at the

prospect of the running back possibly wearing the star on his helmet come season.

It would be a shocking development if the Giants decided not to use the franchise tag on Barkley this

season, unless a multiyear deal is completed before the franchise tag deadline closes on March 5.

Does it make sense for the Giants to spend $12.419 in cap space—the approximate cost of the 2024

franchise tender for running backs—on Barkley when they currently have $15,110,328 in effective cap

space and $22,943,875 in total cap space as of this writing?

Not precisely. This year, things are significantly different from last year, when the Giants were happy to

just sit back and absorb the cost of Barkley’s franchise tag.

First off, the Giants were enjoying a terrific season that culminated in their first postseason appearance

since 2016. However, the Giants’ poor 6-11 record this year revealed some obvious roster gaps that need

to be filled if this team hopes to make the playoffs the next year.

Cowboys supporters who envision Barkley gracing The Star with his presence should start fantasizing

about something else if a “tag and trade” takes place.

That is unless the Cowboys, who, by the way, currently have an even worse cap situation than the Giants-

-Dallas is in the red in both effective cap space ($21,194,322) and total cap space ($16,091,660)– were

willing to give up a small king’s ransom in a tag-and-trade scenario to help them clear the money they’d

need to potentially fit Barkley under their cap.