Colin Cowherd blames Daniel Jones' $40,000,000 extension for Saquon Barkley's contract debacle
Colin Cowherd laid the blame on Saquon Barkley's contract issue plainly on Daniel Jones. The New York Giants and their running back failed to find the right deal for the player, who was arguably the most important component of their offense.
The NFL analyst believes that the moment they handed $40 million to Daniel Jones for four years and not to Saquon Barkley, it created resetnment within the player. He said:
"Once you handed Daniel Jones $40 million a year for four years, it changed the temperature in the room. You can never fool the players. Saquon Barkley, not the quarterback, is the most important part of the offense."
Colin Cowherd illustrated his position by looking at the numbers the quarteback puts up with and without the running back. He pointed out that the play-caller's numbers drop precipitously in the latter instance. He added:
"And I'll give you an example. Look at Daniel Jones numbers starting with Saquon Barkley. It ain't bad. 65 passer rating, 90 as a completion percentage [sic], 91 passer rating with Saquon Barkley. It drops like a rock, without Saquon Barkley to 77. More picks than touchdowns. So Daniel Jones is reliant on Saquon Barkley. Daniel Jones got the bag. Barkley is offered a franchise tag."
Colin Cowherd thinks they could have used franchise tag on Daniel Jones instead of Saquon Barkley
Colin Cowherd said that instead of giving their quarteback a long-term deal based on just last season, they could have given him the franchise tag. That would have made more sense given their running back has been the superstar who has always performed. The analyst added:
"But when you gave the bag to Jones, and the only option now is a one-year deal for the centerpiece of the offense. That's the difference between unhappy and resentment. I don't think Barkley would be resentful if you gave Daniel Jones a franchise tag. I don't think he'd be resentful. I think he'd be unhappy. He'd want the big contract and there will be pressure on them. But you wouldn't be trapped for four years with Daniel Jones."
Ultimately, though, he also acknowledged in a separate video that one of the reasons running backs are struggling throughout the league is because of the dependence on passing in the modern game. He even asked the players in that position to accept that as a necessary change.
Irrespective of the decisions Giants took, one must look at structural changes within the NFL to elevate the running backs' importance to the system again.