Poll results: Will Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley reach his 2023 incentives?

New York Giants fans who voted in this week’s ‘SB Nation Reacts’ survey are split on the question of whether or not running back Saquon Barkley will reach the $909,000 in incentives added to his amended franchise tag contract.

Fifty-three percent of voters think Barkley will reach his incentives, while 47% believe he will fall short.

All of the incentives in Barkley’s deal would be considered ‘not likely to be earned,’ since they are above the numbers he posted in 2022. From a salary cap perspective, that means the incentives do not count toward Barkley’s 2023 cap number.

Let’s take a look at three incentives:

1,350 yards rushing

Barkley had 1,312 yards rushing in 16 games last season, sitting out the meaningless season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. He averaged 82.0 rushing yards per game. With 82 yards against the Eagles, he would have totaled 1,394. Barkley had 1,307 rushing yards in 16 games as a rookie in 2018. If Barkley is healthy for a full season, this one seems reachable but not certain. You still have to wonder how many carries Matt Breida and rookie Eric Gray might take from Barkley.

11 touchdowns

Barkley had 11 touchdowns as a rookie and 10 last season. If his workload remains what it was in his two fully healthy seasons, he has a shot at reaching this one.

65 receptions

Barkley had 57 last season, when he averaged 3.6 per game. He had a record 91 as a rookie, but hasn’t come close to that number since. If memory serves, many of those 2018 receptions were third-and-long dump offs where Eli Manning had little choice. With Darren Waller and a deep receiving group this one seems difficult to reach.

The caveat to all of these, of course, is that the Giants need to make the playoffs for them to kick in.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in New York Giants fans and fans across the country.
Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.