ESPN: 'Don't Expect' Saquon Barkley to Get Contract Similar to Christian McCaffrey

New York Giants star Saquon Barkley reportedly isn't expected to reset the running back contract market, even if he hits free agency after the 2022 NFL season.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said "don't expect" Barkley to surpass the $16 million average value earned by the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey, which has remained the top mark at the position since he signed the contract in April 2020.

Barkley is playing the final year of his rookie contract, which includes a $7.2 million salary for this season. The Giants will have an opportunity to use the franchise tag to prevent him from becoming a free agent, which is projected at $12.6 million for 2023, per OverTheCap.

Typically, if a player hits the open market it increases their earning potential, but it doesn't appear that's the case here despite the Giants rusher's bounce-back year.

Barkley "probably can't go too far beyond" the franchise-tag figure even as a free agent, because teams are hesitant to hand out lucrative contracts to running backs, per ESPN's Dan Graziano, who listed the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs as potential landing spots.

The 25-year-old Penn State product has returned to form after a couple injury-plagued seasons. He leads the NFL in rushing yards (931), and he's averaging 125.3 yards from scrimmage per game across nine appearances in 2022.

When healthy, there's no doubt the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is one of the league's most dynamic playmakers, but front offices simply haven't shown a willingness to make significant financial commitments at the position in recent years.

Although the market at other positions, especially quarterback, have been consistently on the rise, running back contracts have been stagnant even at the top end.

Meanwhile, the Giants declined the fifth-year option in the contract of quarterback Daniel Jones in April, so he's also a pending unrestricted free agent.

If the front office decides to retain Jones, its best option would be signing him to a short-term extension in order to retain the franchise tag to keep Barkley, too.

Should the dual-threat back hit free agency, he'll likely have plenty of suitors, but it doesn't sound like that will translate to a record-setting contract.