The Giants-Saquon Barkley divorce might go down as the biggest stain on Joe Schoen’s resume. Sure, New York could make a serious run this season — with an upgraded QB room, a deeper backfield thanks to Cam Skattebo, and a defense that should get a boost from Abdul Carter. All solid moves by Schoen. But even if everything clicks, letting Barkley walk while handing Daniel Jones that massive contract is a decision that’ll stick for them. People won’t forget it.
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The infamous breakup is going to be even tougher to swallow for Giants fans now that the Eagles have made Barkley the highest-paid running back in the league. The two sides agreed on a two-year, $41.2 million extension after that Super Bowl run — but still, an unprecedented number for the position, especially considering how much it’s been devalued over the years. And who’s to blame for that? GMs and franchises.
So, when Barkley finally got the deal he deserved, he made sure to show love to what he found in Philly — a good GM and a supportive organization. He also opened up that not every team operates that way. Some, he admitted, are quick to use their leverage to squeeze players for every advantage. The Eagles didn’t play that game. But as for who did? Well… you can probably connect the dots.
“Shoutout to the Eagles organization. Howie [Roseman]. I think [my extension] sends a message to the guys on our team: you play well and you do things the right way, you’re going to be taken care of,” Barkley said, before shifting gears and talking about how it typically goes around the league.
“And that’s not the NFL. A lot of times, GMs and organizations have leverage on you, and they can do whatever they want [with that]… So, really thankful for the Eagles organization.”
Barkley then touched on how running backs are still fighting for respect. Deals like Derrick Henry’s show a little bit of progress, but the league is far from fully valuing the position.
Front offices around the league are quick to undervalue and undermine running backs over injury concerns — even though that’s a risk with every position, including quarterbacks, the highest-paid players in the league.
And as Barkley noted, most QBs aren’t even winning the Super Bowl; only Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts have won the Lombardi in the last three years.
“We had a time where we all were banged up and getting hurt. But you could [say] that for any position… Like we pay these quarterbacks all this money, and Pat Mahomes, he’s the only one outside Jalen [Hurts] to win [in recent years],” Barkley continued.
“It’s like wide receivers [also] get hurt. So, say, the next five wide receivers that paid high, if they get hurt, you’re going to devalue that position? It doesn’t work like that.”
We all know how Barkley got disrespected by Schoen and the Giants. And honestly, it’s the same story for backs around the league. Hopefully, over time, they will start getting the respect they deserve and get more than just scraps.
Playing that position should be exciting — but with how teams like the Giants treated their guy, it’s no wonder it hasn’t been. Luckily, Barkley had the fire to prove them all wrong.
