ESPN Report: NFL executive explains why the New York Giants didn’t sabotage Saquon Barkley’s negotiations with the Eagles.
Seven years after selecting Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick, the New York Giants had the option of re-signing him. Giants general manager Joe Schoen decided that Barkley, who is 27 years old, wasn’t worth the ticket price. John Mara, the team’s owner, stated that if Saquon moves to Philadelphia, he “would have a tough time sleeping.”
Barkley did, in fact, sign a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Eagles. The Giants swiftly switched to Devin Singletary, a former running back for the Bills and Schoen’s old friend. Singletary, 27, was signed by the Giants for $16.5 million over three seasons, so they got him for a bargain, but he has also never had a season with 1,000 yards gained through rushes. There were three at Barkley’s.
What prevented the Giants from signing their current Pro Bowl running back? Recently, an NFL executive offered his perspective on the matter.
New York Giants ownership didn’t want to ‘mettle’ in Saquon Barkley discussions
It is common to criticize NFL owners of interfering or making roster decisions that belong to the general manager or head coach. More often than not, owners like Jerry Jones engage in this. Since that management approach doesn’t aid in hiring the best general managers available, owners generally dislike being accused of being meddling.
John Mara, the president of the Giants and co-owner, may have regretted not speaking up during the Saquon Barkley contract negotiations. An unnamed NFL official of today thinks Mara would have intervened but declined to assume command.
A long-tenured executive from another team stated, “My feeling is that John Mara would have put his foot down (to stop Barkley from leaving) if it weren’t for Hard Knocks, but he didn’t want to be perceived as meddling.”
Another executive stated, “The owner is thinking, ‘I don’t want him to beat us twice. Barkley has been one of our best players for years. The players on the team respect him.” “But the truth is, the Giants aren’t very good, and they might still lose twice to Philadelphia.”
With Barkley flourishing in the Eagles’ victory and the Giants’ offense faltering to just six points in their defeat, the Giants have lost the first round of the playoffs. Granted, it’s too early to criticize the choice not to sign Barkley, but if this pattern persists, letting Barkley walk might be the last straw that ends Schoen’s Giants career.
