Rumors continue to swirl whether the New York Giants could deal star running back Saquon Barkley ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Although all public comments indicate New York plans to hang on to Barkley, that does not necessarily mean a deal will not happen, given past precedent in several professional sports leagues.
If the Giants and general manager Joe Schoen decide to move Barkley, who are some potential trade partners that could make some sense?
Why Moving Saquon Barkley Makes Sense
It’s important to preface this discussion that both Barkley and Giants head coach Brian Daboll have been vocal in recent days about their desire for Barkley to remain in New York.
Barkley previously told reporters that he had a conversation with Schoen and Daboll before a walkthrough at practice last week, where the pair reassured Barkley that they plan to keep him through the trade deadline.
Daboll briefly elaborated on that conversation this week.
“Someone told me that there were some rumors out there, so I walked up to him at the walkthrough and said, ‘Yeah, that’s not happening. Let’s go to walkthrough.’ That’s it,” Daboll told reporters.
Barkley also told reporters last week that he wants to stay in New York and has no desire to be traded to any other team, given the challenges that present.
“Everyone knows how I feel. Everyone knows I don’t want to be traded,” Barkley said. ” I would love to be here, but, like I said, it’s not in my control. My focus is to be the leader I can be for this team and try to get this thing on the right track.”
A rough 2-5 start could incentivize the Giants to begin moving off some players, though.
Barkley is currently playing on a one-year deal worth up to $11 million that he signed with New York in July, a bit of a surprise at the time. The deal is far from the lucrative long-term extension that Barkley desired and leaves him set to hit free agency this offseason.
The Giants could look to get as much return as possible for Barkley at the trade deadline if they are not confident in their ability to re-sign him. The leaguewide trend of not giving running backs big contracts, however, could also make other teams reticent to give up significant capital on top of the money they would pay him.
Still, it’s worth considering some potential destinations for Barkley if New York looks to move him in the coming days.
Best Fits for Saquon Barkley Trade
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (3-3) are perhaps the team most in need of a top-end running back among squads that look poised to be buyers at the deadline.
Tampa Bay has asked Baker Mayfield to shoulder much of the offensive load this season for a unit that has, at times, struggled to put up points this season. Part of that is the team having to be so pass-heavy, with Rachaad White (83 carries, 266 yards, one TD) the only player to make any significant contributions at running back.
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The Buccaneers have two high-level talents at wide receiver in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and could certainly stand to add another top-end talent like Barkley. His addition could open up plenty of possibilities for the offense and help take some of the onus off Mayfield to throw so much with a more dependable one-two punch in the backfield.
White’s pass-catching ability, with 23 catches for 163 yards already this season, could allow him to get on the field at times with Barkley, too, and provide the offense with more versatility all around.
Football-wise, this move makes too much sense for Tampa Bay not to at least pursue it at the right price.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens (5-2) have gotten off to a strong start this season behind one of the most productive stretches of star quarterback Lamar Jackson’s career.
Adding another top-end playmaker at running back to give the offense another dimension beyond Jackson’s prolific running and throwing ability could be intriguing for Baltimore. Gus Edwards (86 carries for 346 yards and two TDs) has been productive as the team’s featured back, but they have not gotten much other production from the spot outside of sporadic contributions from Justice Hill.
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Bringing in another elite playmaker like Barkley could add another dynamic layer to an offense that has already been difficult to stop this year. Defenses would have nightmares about how to stop read-option plays featuring two home-run threats like Jackson and Barkley.
This may not be a realistic move for the Ravens at this point or a necessary one, but it would certainly have plenty of upside for on-field success.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns (4-2) have surfaced in trade rumors for any number of potentially available running backs, given their current state at the position.
Cleveland has already lost star running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending injury in its Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a massive blow on its own. Other injury issues have also plagued the room with Jerome Ford, the team’s top back since Chubb went down, now also dealing with an injury that pushed him to an early exit from last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Not to mention, Kareem Hunt played through a thigh injury against the Colts and continues to deal with it this week.
Although Cleveland still has Chubb under contract through the 2024 season, his injury-riddled history is cause for concern regarding his long-term viability as the team’s lead back.
Barkley could help solve both of those problems as a productive option who has played at least 13 games in four of his first five NFL seasons.
Trading for a player like Barkley could give the Browns an exit plan and allow them to move on from Chubb when he heals up. Although it may be unlikely that they take on another highly-paid running back for the remainder of the season, it may not be outside the realm of possibility.
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