Moments after it was reported that running back Saquon Barkley was leaving New York for the Eagles, the Giants reached an agreement with former Packers guard Jon Runyan. The pivot shows a clear shift in how the Giants are operating.
Barkley had been the focal point of the Giants’ offense since being the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft. But a porous offensive line limited the dynamic playmaker’s effectiveness. So rather than spending big to retain Barkley, general manager Joe Schoen is investing in the offensive line to help a cheaper running back thrive.
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Runyan agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract worth $17 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to The Athletic. Runyan, who was No. 11 on The Athletic’s list of the top 150 available free agents, spent the past four seasons with the Packers after being a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft. The 6-foot-4, 307-pounder is the son of former Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan, who squared off with the Giants from 2000-08.
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How he fits
The Giants had glaring holes at both guard spots, so Runyan will step into one of those openings. He made 16 starts at left guard in 2021 before shifting to right guard the past two seasons.
Runyan, who turns 27 in August, has started 50 straight games over the past three seasons for the Packers. He is known as a strong pass protector due to his movement ability and understanding of angles. He isn’t as adept as a run blocker, but he still should represent an upgrade in that department over what the Giants had at guard last season.
2024 impact
It’s not a coincidence the Giants’ first big move of free agency was adding an offensive lineman. Schoen desperately needed to address this weakness, so the expectation is that Runyan will make an immediate impact.
Signing Runyan doesn’t preclude the Giants from adding another guard in free agency or the draft. The players who started the majority of games at guard last season — Ben Bredeson, Justin Pugh and Mark Glowinski — are all free agents.
History
It may take time for Giants fans to get used to rooting for a player with the last name Runyan. Runyan’s father tangled with Giants Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan annually in the 2000s. The elder Runyan transitioned into politics after his football career, serving as a New Jersey congressman from 2011-15. He currently has a role in the NFL’s operations department overseeing club and game-related initiatives related to players.
The younger Runyan grew up in South New Jersey while his father was playing for the Eagles. He followed in his father’s footsteps by attending Michigan, where he played left tackle. Runyan was a sixth-round pick by the Packers in the 2020 draft.
Cap update
The Giants entered free agency with $38.4 million in cap space. The Runyan contract will take a bite out of that space, but the structure of the deal isn’t known yet. The Giants have typically reduced the cap hits in the first year of long-term deals under Schoen, so the cap hit should be lower than the $10 million average annual salary. Runyan’s contract is far cheaper than some of the bigger guard contracts handed out in the $17 million per year range.
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Outlook
The Giants have been trying to build an adequate offensive line for over a decade. Runyan is the latest attempt to address the perennial weakness. He doesn’t project as a Pro Bowl-level player, but the Giants just need solid pieces to complement star left tackle Andrew Thomas. The hope is that Runyan can meet that standard and provide an upgrade for an offense amid a transition.
(Photo of Jon Runyan: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)