Although the Antonio Brown-Raiders saga from 2019 provided some notable content, Hard Knocks’ traditional training camp format rarely intersects with Pro Football Rumors’ (PFR) coverage. However, HBO’s offseason series featuring the Giants has certainly made an impact, particularly in chronicling the split between the team and Saquon Barkley.
After three years of rumors surrounding Barkley, reports have surfaced detailing the split, revealing that the Giants never actually made an offer to their star player this year. Despite making multiple offers in 2023 following an initial proposal during their 2022 bye week, the franchise-tagged running back did not agree to terms. This offseason, GM Joe Schoen adopted a more passive approach.
After meeting with staffers to assess the potential running back market, Joe Schoen made it clear to John Mara that the team would not apply the franchise tag, which would have been $12 million, for a second time. The third-year Giants GM then contacted Saquon Barkley to inform him of the team’s plan to let him test free agency. During this otherwise cordial conversation, Schoen asked the two-time Pro Bowler to promise he would give the Giants a chance to match the best offer he received.
“Can you give me your word on that, or you not going to give us a chance?” Schoen asked Barkley in a phone conversation. The seventh-year veteran replied, “I already told you where I want to be.”
An offseason report indicated that the Giants would likely wait for Barkley to come back to them with an offer to match. Barkley, 27, had repeatedly stated he wanted to finish his career with the Giants. Big Blue resisted trade interest in the tagged RB at last year’s deadline, which seemed to suggest the Giants had a genuine interest in retaining him for 2024. However, this Hard Knocks episode suggests otherwise, and Schoen’s discussions with his staff did not indicate that the Giants’ front office boss expected Barkley to fetch the contract he did from the Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles gave Saquon Barkley a three-year, $37.75 million deal with $26 million fully guaranteed. The Giants’ final offer to Barkley at the July 2023 tag deadline included a guarantee of around $22 million, with the sides being less than $2 million apart in terms of average annual value (AAV). It’s unclear if that was the full guarantee. Despite dealing with a high ankle sprain last season, Barkley pocketed the $10.1 million from the franchise tag and will now collect an additional $26 million from the Eagles. Even after a challenging year for running backs in 2023, Barkley emerged financially ahead compared to the Giants’ 2023 extension offer. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan confirms the Giants never matched the level of the Eagles’ proposal.
Giants GM Joe Schoen made several references this offseason to the decline in RB production around age 27; the Eagles, however, are betting on their strong offensive line and weaponry to keep Barkley in top form. Meanwhile, the Giants signed a replacement, Devin Singletary, who will soon turn 27, to a three-year, $16.5 million deal with $9.5 million guaranteed at signing. Singletary, a former player under Brian Daboll with the Bills, has logged 426 fewer NFL touches than Barkley.
As the Eagles invest heavily in Barkley, the Giants will rely on their midlevel solution, hoping that Singletary, who has proven more durable by missing only one game during the 2020s, can offer reasonable production.