Sportsnaut
Nearly from the moment he was selected second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, one could make a case that Saquon Barkley was the face of the New York Giants. Once Eli Manning retired after 2019, not even fellow first-round pick Daniel Jones won the hearts of the Big Blue fanbase over as much as Barkley could.
Yet, despite Barkley bursting out onto the scene by winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and following it with another 1,000-yard season, injuries took a heavy toll on the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Many sold their stock on Barkley, and it was hard for him to regain the faith or help the Giants see his value.
Despite bouncing back in 2012 with his second season with over 1,300 rushing yards, the Giants weren’t ready to commit a long-term contract to their first-round pick. New York preferred to place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley, allowing other teams to present an offer, if they were willing to part with two first-round picks.
While the event took place in 2023, a new Saquon Barkley documentary revealed more of what really happened behind the scenes.
According to the “Saquon” documentary, streamable on Amazon Prime on Thursday, Barkley requested a trade from the Giants in July of 2023, just before he signed the franchise tag. Yet, the Giants weren’t ready to give in.
However, the reason Giants co-owner John Mara gave makes no sense, knowing what we know now. Mara responded to Barkley’s trade request by saying, “You are too valuable to this franchise.”
How ironic is it that the Giants would tell Barkley that he’s too valuable to the team for them to let him go. Only, in that case, the Giants at least would have gotten some trade return for Barkley, likely in the form of draft picks.
But letting him depart in free agency, where the Giants had zero control over him signing with a division rival and having an MVP-like season while helping them win a Super Bowl? That was okay?
Instead, the Giants watched Barkley leave the team in free agency last offseason, giving them absolutely nothing in return. Like watching the Eagles win a Super Bowl, knowing this fact has to feel like more salt pouring into the Giants’ fans’ wounds.
Related: 1 Bold Prediction for Every Game in NFL Week 6
More must-reads:
