With The First Pick
Fansided

The New York Giants might be making a huge mistake

By Lou Scataglia

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 15: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants warms up prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 15: Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants warms up prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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The Daniel Jones extension from the New York Giants was a mistake, and they can double their mistake if they extend Saquon Barkley.

The Giants shocked the NFL this year as they went 9-7-1 in the regular season and even won a playoff game.  Great coaching led by Brian Daboll was the catalyst for this quick turnaround.

Quarterback Daniel Jones even looked competent.  He threw for 15 touchdown passes, had a passer rating in the low-90s, and even rushed for seven scores.  It took him until his fourth year in the league, but Danny Dimes put something together.

However, he was still a subpar passer and only has the 2022 season as anything resembling a franchise QB.

Joe Schoen, the Giants’ General Manager, made a massive mistake by giving Daniel Jones a four year deal worth $160 million.  To me, that’s beyond an overpay for a below average QB.  Practically, the deal is for two seasons, as the New York Giants can get out of the contract after the 2024 season, but given the limited production from Jones, I find this contract to be a huge mistake.

The Giants could double their mistake by handing Saquon Barkley a contract extension, and it seems like that’s what they want to do.

Barkley has struggled with injuries during his career, missing four games last year, 14 games in 2020, and three games in 2019.  He also averaged just 4.4 yards per carry in 2022 and has not been able to notch a year averaging more than 4.6 yards per carry since his rookie season.

With his injury concern and the overall bad idea it is to pay running backs, I’d think that handing Barkley a contract extension would be a terrible idea.

The New York Giants need to continue to rebuild their wide receiving core, offensive line, and defense, so my thinking here is that they should be shopping Barkley to try and get an additional draft pick or two in return.

The Giants are still rebuilding even though they can evidently compete, and their running back should be the least of their worries.  They could easily reset their running back contract by drafting one in 2023.

I think this would be the smartest long-term move for the team.  Teams should quit tying themselves to running back contracts that generally never age well.

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