One of the biggest stories on Hard Knocks on Tuesday night for the New York Giants was what went on behind the scenes with running back Saquon Barkley. There were a lot of discussions this NFL offseason in the Giants’ front office on whether or not they should bring him back.
Barkley was drafted second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Giants from Penn State. Dave Gettleman was the general manager at the time he was drafted. Saquon Barkley has been the best offensive player on the Giants since then, but he has also had some injury history as well.
New York Giants fans were not happy when Barkley left them this offseason to go play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Hard Knocks on Tuesday night, the offseason edition, started the dialogue about Saquon Barkley not returning to the team.
New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen Explained On Tuesday Why They Didn’t Re-Sign Saquon Barkley
During one of the parts of the Hard Knocks Tuesday night, Giants executive Tim McDonnell spoke to general manager Joe Schoen about what would happen if they were to lose Saquon Barkley in free agency. McDonnell said:
“We lose Saquon, what’s our identity gonna be?”
Joe Schoen responded to him by saying:
“We’ve gotta upgrade the offensive line, and you’re paying Daniel Jones $40M. It’s not to hand the ball off to a $12M back.”
Joe Schoen is 100 percent correct about the offensive line needing to be upgraded. If a quarterback is being paid that much money, he needs to show what he can do.
There have been other teams that have built football teams by paying the quarterback, the offensive line, and getting pass rushers. Paying a running back high money is not the way to go in today’s NFL.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen got his thinking process right. Owner John Mara wanted Saquon Barkley back, but Schoen gave him his reasoning as to why they would need to pivot.
The Giants signed Devin Singletary this offseason and also drafted Tyrone Tracy Jr. from Purdue in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Those two players and Eric Gray will compete for playtime at the running back position this season.
Barkley last season rushed for 962 yards on 247 carries and six touchdowns, along with averaging 3.9 yards per rush. He also caught 41 passes for 280 yards receiving and four touchdowns. along with averaging 6.8 yards per catch.
There were other running backs that the New York Giants considered signing this offseason. Some of those names were Joe Mixon and D’Andre Swift.
