Saquon Barkley already highest-paid running back in NFL without playing a snap
The conventional wisdom in today’s NFL is that you don’t draft running backs early in the first round and you don’t pay them a big chunk of your salary cap.
The New York Giants, in drafting Saquon Barkley second overall, just grabbed the conventional wisdom, dunked its head in the toilet, and gave it a swirlie.
And just for good measure, they gave an atomic wedgie to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the process with their negotiations with Le’Veon Bell.
Barkley signed his rookie contract with the Giants Sunday afternoon, and his agent, Kim Miale, was there to catch it on camera.
It’s official. Very proud of this guy! I can’t wait to watch him continue to put in work and come out stronger every day. Congratulations @saquon!! Go big blue!!! pic.twitter.com/fxsMYcD9Hu
— Kimberly Miale (@kimmiale) July 22, 2018
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed the terms of the deal, and it makes Barkley the highest-paid running back in the league.
The #Giants have agreed to terms with first-round RB Saquon Barkley on his four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $31.2M, source says. He has a $20.76M signing bonus with $15M paid out immediately — the most in several years. He gets the rest by October. Rookies report today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 22, 2018
The contract is four years, $31.2 million, a $20.76 million signing bonus with $15 million up front and the remaining $5.76 million paid out between now and October, and — unlike most contracts in the NFL — fully guaranteed.
Annualized over those four years, that’s approximately $13 million a year, with every cent of it to end up in Barkley’s bank account rather than in a news headline and quietly discarded if Barkley gets hurt or doesn’t pan out.
Bell, mentioned previously, is making $14.5 million this year on the Steelers’ franchise tag, and while that still makes him the clubhouse leader for base salary, Barkley just made more money in actual cash payout with one stroke of a pen than Bell will in 16 games of professional football.
Thus, the thumb in the eye of the Steelers by the Giants.
The Barkley contract — especially if he starts tearing up the league out of the chute with Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and the rest of the Giants’ high-powered passing attack opening up ample opportunities not just for Barkley to run the ball but also to catch screen passes out of the backfield — just set the market.
Bell wants more money from Pittsburgh and has threatened to sit out the season if he doesn’t get it.
Plus, plenty of other NFL players have been agitating for more guaranteed money; the Rams’ Todd Gurley raised exactly that point when pointing at the NBA’s guaranteed salary structure last week.
And sure, this whole contract could blow up in the Giants’ face if Barkley doesn’t live up to the hype and ends up on the all-time draft busts list.
If that happens, the conventional wisdom — don’t draft a running back too high and don’t pay him too much –will sound like divine mandate from the football gods.
But just as likely is the fact the Giants and Saquon Barkley just completely redefined the market for a star running back even in a pass-wacky league.
And the Steelers and Rams are sleeping just a little less easy at night as a result.
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