the giants key player is leaving

Take, for example, the most prominent free agents in New York.

The $1 million-2 million gap in guaranteed money that prevented running back Saquon Barkley and the Giants from agreeing to an extension last offseason seems even more like relative peanuts at this point.

If the Giants were to re-offer the deal that Barkley turned down last August — three years, $33 million with about $23 million guaranteed — or even meet h slightly higher asking price, it would account for less of a chunk of the salary cap than it would have last July.

In fact, all running backs — whose contract market has stagnated — might benefit from the influx of resources at a time when many top runners are free agents.

The prices for franchise tagging Giants safety Xavier McKinney ($17.1 million) and Jets defensive end Bryce Huff ($21.3 million) also are less exorbitant in light of the new salary cap.

While the Jets have more breathing room than expected ($15 million) to offer an extension to Huff before free agency opens March 11, it also means competitors have more money to spend on luxuries like a situational pass-rusher if he reaches the open market.

If the Giants put a transition tag on McKinney to maintain the right to match any free-agent contract offer that he receives, as The Post previously reported is under consideration, the cost will be $13.8 million in 2024 and far from the top of a positional market that could grow beyond the current top of $19 million per