Devonta Freeman, Giants Reportedly Agree to 1-Year, $3M Contract

The New York Giants and free-agent running back Devonta Freeman have agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"Devonta turned down more money from other teams because he likes the opportunity with the Giants best," Drew Rosenhaus, Freeman's agent, told Schefter.

The Giants lost franchise star and running back Saquon Barkley for the season to a torn right ACL suffered against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Sept. 20. Barkley amassed 3,469 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns over his first two years.

Replacing Barkley's production is a near-impossible task, but the Giants were forced to scour the free-agent wire to fill a spot on the depth chart with his season over. 

The G-Men entered the season with Dion Lewis as Barkley's backup and Wayne Gallman as the third-string running back, but New York clearly felt a need to add another player on its depth chart.

Freeman was arguably the best option available: The free agent was still without a team after the Atlanta Falcons released him on March 16 following six years with them.

Freeman signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension with Atlanta in August 2017 following the Falcons' NFC title and near-Super Bowl LI win over the New England Patriots.

The fat deal came after the ex-Florida State star amassed 3,175 scrimmage yards and 27 touchdowns from 2015-2016. He was a force in the passing game, in particular, catching 127 passes for 1,040 yards and five scores during that stretch.

However, Freeman didn't find as much success on the field in his final three years in Atlanta, whose offensive production as a whole took a dip following offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's departure to coach the San Francisco 49ers.

Freeman was serviceable in 2017, with 1,182 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, but injuries held him to just two games in 2018.

He returned in 2019, but the 5'8", 206-pound back struggled in 2019 with a career-low 3.6 yards per carry.

The 28-year-old's days of being a team's backfield bell cow could now be over, but Freeman is still a solid dual-threat back capable of catching 50 or more passes per season. He notably had three games of eight catches or more in 2019, including a nine-catch, 74-yard, one-touchdown afternoon versus Jacksonville on Dec. 22.

That versatility could help him be a steal for New York amid difficult circumstances, and it's certainly possible he ends up taking the bulk of the running back workload for the remainder of the season ahead of Lewis and Gallman.

The Giants' next game will be home on Sunday, Sept. 27 versus the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. ET.