Saquon Barkley may not have been MVP this season but he indeed was one of the most valuable free transfers in modern NFL history. The New York Giants have faced intense criticism for their decision to allow him to leave for free and join the Philadelphia Eagles, their divisional rivals. And Hard Knocks made sure that this haunts them forever.
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But why did the Giants let Barkley go? Well, according to an NFL insider, they didn’t think the RB did enough for them in the past season.
During his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Tom Pelissero revealed that Big Blue’s front office didn’t believe in the Penn State Alum’s ability to put up good numbers for them. So a big paycheck was not worth his talent.
“The theory was Saquon was not going to have that kind of season with the Giants. They had tried to pay him on multiple occasions. He didn’t get bunch (of) more money from the Eagles. The Giants offer to him was not that far off,” said Pelissero.
Ultimately, the front office felt they couldn’t handle Barkley and therefore prioritized the offensive line, which they felt, needed an upgrade.
“The Giants thinking was we are just not going to be this team with Saquon. It’s not going to be worth it to us. Let’s build in a different way,” added the insider, shedding light on the direction the Giants took.
Attempting to bolster their offensive line, the Giants drafted running back Tyrone Tracy and signed Devin Singletary on a team-friendly deal. Tracy flashed his potential, racking up 1,000 yards from scrimmage, proving he could be a valuable asset.
At the end of the day though, the Giants failed to recognize Barkley as the true face of the franchise. Instead of committing big money to their star running back, they handed a massive contract to Daniel Jones — a move that, in hindsight, looks like a mistake. However, their focus on improving the O-line wasn’t entirely wrong; it was just that their execution that fell short.
In today’s NFL landscape, franchises prioritize quarterbacks over running backs, and the Giants believed Jones was their guy. He needed a strong offensive line to succeed, just like any QB they draft in the future will.
Saquon, in his last season with the Giants, put up merely 962 rushing yards and 1242 total yards along with 10 TDs. He carried the ball nearly 250 times, averaging merely 3.9 yards per carry. In fact, he never passed 1400 rushing yards in his six seasons with the franchise.
But in just his first season with the Eagles, he broke records and showed his brilliance. Barkley carried the ball a career-high 345 times for 2005 yards and 13 TDs, averaging another career-high 5.8 yards per carry. His total yards from scrimmage were 2283.
Barkley has always been an elite talent and a complete RB like Marshall Faulk. But his elite production in Philadelphia — thanks in large part to their dominant offensive line — proves that even the most talented backs need strong blocking to put up elite numbers.
