Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 4 A P R I L 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he careers of running backs Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders will al- ways be tied together. The former led the way at Penn State before the latter picked up where he left off and excelled in the Nittany Lions' backfield. Both elected to forgo their final year of college eligibility, and both were picked before the end of the sec- ond round of their respective drafts by teams in the NFC East. And now the two former teammates turned divisional opponents will no longer be seeing each other twice a year. After a 2022 season in which they fin- ished among the league's top five rush- ers, their respective teams have made different choices about their futures. The New York Giants decided to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term deal this offseason, giving them the ability to use the nonexclusive franchise tag on Barkley. He is free to negotiate with other teams, but the Giants can match any offer he gets. Barkley can also continue working on a long-term deal with New York. The two sides talked last November and again in March but made little progress. They now have until July 17 to work out a long-term pact. If they can't come to an agreement by then, he will play the 2023 season under the franchise tag, which will pay him $10.1 million. Barkley is coming off a 2022 season in which he rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 338 receiving yards. He's one of the top running backs in the league, but the cost of acquiring him would be steep for any other team — not just in dollars but in draft picks. If another team were to sign Barkley while he's under the franchise tag, it would owe New York two first-round picks as compensation. That means the former Nittany Lion All-American is all but certain to play his sixth NFL season in New York. Sanders, meanwhile, is moving on. A second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles four years ago, he set career highs in yards (1,269), carries (259) and rush- ing touchdowns (11) during Philly's run to the Super Bowl this past season. It was the kind of year he needed to produce in order to secure a quality sec- ond contract. But even though Sanders rushed for 3,708 yards and 20 touch- downs in his first four seasons, the Ea- gles weren't eager to get in a bidding war to keep him on their roster, nor did they want to use the franchise tag. Instead, they signed former Seattle running back Rashaad Penny to a one-year contract as a prelude to the announcement that Sanders was leaving. T h a t a n n o u n c e m e n t c a m e o n March 14 when Sanders took to social media to wish Philadelphia well and thank its fans. A day later, he agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $25 million deal, with $13 million guaranteed. "Since I was 7 years old, all I wanted was to play in the NFL," Sanders tweeted. "Philly made my dreams come true. Thank you for the unforgettable experience. Not looking forward to be- ing a visitor at [Lincoln Financial Field] but can't wait to see y'all again." Since 2021, Sanders has averaged 5.1 Miles Sanders said goodbye to Philadelphia after four seasons with the Eagles. He signed a four-year, $25 million con- tract with the Carolina Panthers in March. PHOTO COURTESY PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Penn State Running Backs Follow Different Paths In Free Agency G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G. P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS