The closer we get to the franchise tag deadline, the more likely it seems that the NY Giants will end up going that route with quarterback Daniel Jones. Danny Dimes is looking to get the most amount of dough from the G-Men possible, but his camp reportedly wanting $45 million a year is out of the question.
Thanks to former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, we have a bit more understanding as to why what the Giants may end up doing with Jones will be a consistent move among NFL teams moving forward.
https://twitter.com/FoxSportsRadio/status/1628117360682090496
The non-exclusive franchise tag makes the most sense for NY Giants QB Daniel Jones
As Quinn notes in the video above, there are two different kinds of franchise tags: an exclusive one and the non-exclusive one. With the latter, it would result in the Giants paying Jones $32.4 million for the 2023 campaign. The only downside of that is that the way the tag is structured, it would result in a $32.4 million cap hit as well.
That’s going to make things difficult for Joe Schoen to add weapons for the offense and defense, no doubt. However, it’s totally up in the air if Saquon Barkley will be back too, as Schoen and his reps aren’t getting close on negotiations either. There’s a strong feeling that Barkley could end up hitting free agency instead of returning to East Rutherford.
#Giants RB Saquon Barkley is now considered likely to hit free-agency
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 21, 2023
There is still a “gap” in negotiations between the team and Barkley, per @nypost
Giants arent likely to pay Saquon more than $12.5M a year and have "little interest" in placing the $10.1M franchise tag on him pic.twitter.com/W0QE5tMO5A
The Giants are clearly making Jones a priority over Barkley, as they don’t want to overpay for No. 26 or use the franchise tag on him. If Barkley does become a free agent, plenty of teams, including the Bills and Ravens, will surely try and connect with him as soon as possible.
As for Jones, the dream scenario would be him signing a long-term deal and avoiding the tag, but if he’s asking for so much money, then it just feels like it’s not going to happen. The non-exclusive franchise tag probably isn’t something Jones would like for next campaign, but it could turn out to be the best decision available for Schoen and the front office.
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