The anticipation of the NFL offseason is unmatched, and the approaching franchise tag deadline adds an element of urgency to the occasion.

The Athletic's Dan Duggan, who regularly covers the Giants, joined John Schmeelk on the Giants Huddle podcast to offer input on player contracts. Duggan also projected some of the decisions that General Manager Joe Schoen will make with the organization's most anticipated free agents, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.

Duggan said that dual negotiations with Jones and Barkley complicate matters immensely. The 32 NFL clubs have until March 7 to designate one player with the franchise tag, and the Giants are in a unique situation.

"All along, we knew this was going to be a very interesting offseason – the fact that you have Saquon and Daniel Jones hitting free agency at the same time," Duggan started. "If you just have one of them, it really wouldn't be that complicated because you know you have the (franchise) tag in your back pocket. And you hope to work out a long-term deal. If you don't, you tag them. The fact that they have dual negotiations with high stakes makes it really interesting."

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"There's a lot of balls in the air for Joe Schoen," Duggan said when asked about other notable free agents like safety Julian Love.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas and safety Xavier McKinney are also in the conversation, according to Duggan. "One thing that good teams do is they're proactive in locking down those home-grown players," he said.

Duggan believes it is wise to open dialogue with players like Thomas and McKinney while they are still under contract. "Beat them to the punch," he said with respect to players in their particular draft classes and position groups.

When it comes to building a team around the pieces already in place, Duggan expressed his optimism about the 2023 NFL Draft: "It still needs to be the avenue." Schoen has a history of "using premium picks on premium players," and the Giants have expressed a need at wide receiver.

Cornerback and inside linebacker are other positions that the franchise may look to fortify. "It's time to make an investment," Duggan said, specifically in reference to the middle linebacker position.

The salary cap is at the forefront of every offseason decision, and Duggan projected how trends will shape front office decisions in the short term: "That cap is going to skyrocket. A dollar today is not worth a dollar tomorrow."