Tag: austin ekeler

New York Giants looking at Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard in free agency

We’re less than 24 hours away from NFL Free Agency Frenzy ’24 and the New York Giants are locked and loaded for action.

General manager Joe Schoen has approximately $40 million in cap space to play with and plenty of holes to fill on his roster. Not all of Schoen’s moves will be via free agency, though.

He will undoubtedly use the draft to bolster the roster, as well as explore the trade market.

The rumor mill has been warming up the past week. The Giants met with the recently released Russell Wilson and could be eyeing signing him as an upgrade to the oft-injured Daniel Jones.

As per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, it wouldn’t cost the Giants very much to take a shot at Wilson:

The key thing to understand with Wilson is that he is practically free. He is owed $39 million fully guaranteed from the Broncos this season no matter what, and any money he earns from another team this year will be offset against that $39 million — meaning the Broncos basically get that amount back. Wilson has no motivation to do the Broncos any favors, so he has no motivation to take anything more than a minimum salary deal. If you want Wilson on a one-year deal, the most you would have to pay him is $1,377,500 (the $1.21 million minimum salary established by the CBA and $167,500 in additional veteran salary benefit compensation that Article 27 of the CBA allows you to exempt from your salary cap).

With Saquon Barkley headed for free agency and likely out of the Giants’ price range, they will have to look at alternatives at running back.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Giants are “looking” at veteran backs such as Austin Ekeler and Tony Pollard.

The Giants are still in the mix on a potential re-sign (of Barkley) but are also looking at other options, such as Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler.

The Giants are angling for inexpensive options at running back as they move towards a backfield-by-committee approach.

As for potential trades, a trade for Carolina edge rusher Brian Burns is a possibility. Burns was assigned the franchise tag by the Panthers, which will pay him $21.3 million for 2024.

Our Dan Benton recently went through how such a deal for Burns would transpire. It is also becoming more favorable with time.

The reality is, Schoen wants to get some studs on the offensive line. It looks as if he would like to land one of the top guards in this free-agent class and augment the group with some draft picks.

Graziano says that free-agent guards are ‘likely to do well’.

Kevin Dotson’s new deal with the Rams opened a lot of eyes. His average of $16 million per year is much higher than many anticipated, and the hope among the top free agent guards such as Miami’s Robert Hunt, Detroit’s Jonah Jackson and Baltimore’s John Simpson is that it will push up the ceiling for their own deals.

Schoen better pack a lunch, as there will be a lot of competition for those players mentioned come Monday.

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Austin Ekeler wants Saquon Barkley to take a stand in contract dispute

As the contract standoff between the New York Giants and running back Saquon Barkley limps into its final days, current and former NFL stars are beginning to chime in.

Many former Giants have expressed their support of Barkley but now others around the league are beginning to recognize how the situation may impact them.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, who is headed into the final year of his deal, recently threatened a holdout of his own. In the end, he had $1.75 million in incentives added to his contract but recognizes it’s not enough. And now, on behalf of himself and other backs across the NFL, he wants Barkley to take a stand against the Giants.

“The trend right now is not to pay running backs, so everyone is like ‘OK, we don’t have to do it either then,’” Ekeler said on the Rich Eisen Podcast. “Whether it’s right, wrong or indifferent, it is what it is. It’s going to take something, whether some guy stands out again, whether it’s this year, one of these guys holds out and gets a big contract, but we need that needle to move to push us over the edge, because here’s the deal: salary cap goes up every single year. So you see new highs in every single position.”

Ekeler’s stand was minimal and did little to shift the dynamic of the running back market. Now he’s desperate for someone else to do what he couldn’t — or wouldn’t.

But Ekeler isn’t the only one dismayed with the Giants and their approach to Barkley. Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones also recently spoke up, slamming Big Blue for devaluing their top offensive asset.

“I’m on Saquon Barkley’s side 24/7. He’s earned the right to be one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. You got Christian McCaffrey up there at 1$6 million, you got Joe Mixon around $12M, Alvin Kamara $15 million,” Jones said on Speak for Yourself.

“So, it’s really frustrating when you find ways to pay other guys on the team and you’re beating around the bush to pay your superstar players and if we look at it right now, you probably talking about one or $2 million that they off like you can’t take care of your guy for one or $2 million and be able to restructure this thing or do it the way that Barkley is happy to get him in the building.”

The Giants have had all the leverage in the negotiations with Barkley and that’s been dictated by the market around the league. That’s not the fault of general manager Joe Schoen.

Over the past decade, the Giants have found themselves in consistent financial trouble due to paying above-market value for players. It’s been a common criticism but now the winds have shifted and they find themselves in the crosshairs for the exact opposite reason.

Ultimately, all the outrage is premature.

There’s still time for the Giants and Barkley to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, and optimism remains that a deal can be struck. Everyone should just pump the brakes and see how the situation plays out before ranting and raving over something that could become inconsequential over the next 72 hours.

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