One of the biggest gambles for New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has taken during his 3+ years as the organization’s chief decision maker was to let running back Saquon Barkley test the open market last offseason rather than go back to the negotiating table.
One of the biggest gambles New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has taken during his 3+ years as the organization’s chief decision-maker was letting running back Saquon Barkley test the open market last offseason rather than returning to the negotiating table.
In the end, Barkley went to the Eagles, where he got $1 million more in guaranteed money. He went on to have a near-record-setting season with his new team, falling just shy of the single-season rushing yardage mark set by Eric Dickerson.
The Giants? They, too, had a record-setting season, except it was the end. Barkley went to the Eagles, where he got $1 million more in guaranteed money. He went on to have a near record-setting season with his new team, falling just shy of the single-season rushing yardage mark set by Eric Dickerson.
The Giants? They, too, had a record-setting season, except it was the wrong type of record. New York finished with a franchise-worst mark of 3-14 and will watch their former first-round draft pick from 2018 try to earn a Super Bowl ring this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
While Giants fans try to keep their stomachs settled and their frustrations in check, if there is any defense of Schoen’s decision regarding Barkley’s departure, it wasn’t so much a matter of evaluating his ability as it was about roster practicality.
“To me, that’s the greater context of this whole thing,” said SI.com NFL insider Albert Breer. “Part of the Giants’ calculation last spring was that they simply weren’t in a position to reset the market to keep a seventh year running back. They’re rebuilding.
“But because it’s New York, the simple decision to let Barkley go turned the volume up to 100,” Breer continued. “Do you hear similar criticism directed at the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders, who let Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs go?”
The Giants tried in 2023 to sign Barkley to a long-term deal, but the running back, who had received the franchise tag that year, rejected at least three contract proposals.
With no deal in place, Barkley returned to the Giants on a one-year, modified franchise tag deal and posted a 6-11 record with No. 26 working out of the backfield for them in 14 games.
Despite comprising 26% of the Giants scrimmage yards on offense, New York fell to 6-11 and nowhere near a second straight postseason berth. Of course, that is not an indictment on his talent, but the point is that the roster was not a star running back away from contending for a championship.
Hence, Schoen’s likely thinking regarding Barkley. Committing a multi-year contract to a player approaching “old” for his position group is always a tough pill to swallow, especially when there are other holes to fill. Schoen instead allocated financial resources that otherwise might have gone to Barkley to the offensive line and edge rusher Brian Burns and made a business decision.
Meanwhile, the Giants, who had committed to quarterback Daniel Jones, whom they had signed to a four-year deal averaging $40 million per year, saw that gamble go belly up when Jones didn’t make it through the 2024 season.
Barkley put together the best season of his career, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games for the Eagles, something he probably wouldn’t have accomplished given the respective states of the Giants and Eagles offensive lines.
And the Giants, as part of that 3-14 record, accumulated the third-least number of yards in the NFL this past season, making the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.
Come Monday morning, regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl, the entire league will be back to 0-0 as the 32 teams look to upgrade their respective rosters.
The Giants might have lost the gamble regarding Barkley, but they can’t dwell on the move. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have been given a grace period to get the Giants right.
