Saquon Barkley, a $37M Bargain Superstar, Continues to Haunt Giants

Until the Giants achieve anything on the football field, the defining moment of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll era will have come on Hard Knocks.

The video is practically seared into the eyes of any Eagles or Giants fan. With Giants owner John Mara squirming and trying to justify retaining Saquon Barkley, GM Joe Schoen flippantly dismisses the idea.

“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” Mara said. “As I’ve told you, I’ve been around enough players, but he’s the most popular player we have, by far.”

Schoen’s response, saying it was more important to add protection and receivers for quarterback Daniel Jones:

“You’re paying the guy $40 million. It’s not to hand the ball off to a $12 million back.”

That is about what Barkley ended up commanding on the open market, agreeing to a three-year, $37 million deal with $26 million guaranteed from the Eagles.

All that happened next: Barkley had one of the best seasons by a running back in NFL history, and is less than 200 yards away from Terrell Davis’s league record for rushing yards in the regular season and playoffs combined. The Giants utterly collapsed, cutting Jones midseason and winning a single home game. Barkley has keyed both of his team’s playoff wins, with a game-clinching 78-yard touchdown at the end of Philly’s snowy defeat of the Rams on Sunday.

Mara and Schoen have been endlessly trolled for the offseason exchange. Barkley endorsed a sleep aid. Tagline: “I’ve got no problem resting up, but for those of you who might have a tough time sleeping.” And Joe Buck and Troy Aikman laughed about it on Monday Night Football, with Buck saying that, “John Mara’s gotta be so sick of that clip” and Aikman pointing out that “They decided to keep Daniel Jones. Now they don’t have either.”

The Giants letting Barkley walk comes up with every new Barkley highlight. “We couldn’t pay that man?,” Justin Tuck, who won two Super Bowls with the team, tweeted Sunday night.

At least the Giants won’t be the only NFC East team sick to their stomachs next weekend. The Cowboys let Commanders head coach Dan Quinn leave after the 2023 season, only to not retain Mike McCarthy after this season anyway. Quinn has turned around the Commanders, who will face the Eagles in the NFC championship game, while the Giants and Cowboys appear rudderless.