NFL Rumors: New York Giants star Saquon Barkley's future in limbo after GM's comments
Saquon Barkley's time with the New York Giants may come to an end this off-season, with recent comments from general manager Joe Schoen suggesting that the Giants will entertain trade offers for their star running back.
Schoen, whom the Giants hired as their new GM in January, stated that he was open to phone calls for the running back as he looks to clear upwards of $40 million in salary cap space this off-season. With Schoen stating that restructuring contracts are a 'last resort,' Barkley may just be traded to create some cap space.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine, Schoen said:
"I'm open to everything. Like whether it’s trading player for player; I’ll listen to anybody. If it’s trading a couple players — I’m not going to say the entire roster, we’re open for business on the entire roster."
Asked Joe Schoen how open is he to a trade for some of his better players, specifically Saquon Barkley:
“I’m open to everything…”
Said he’s willing to listen to pretty much anything. They have to make some difficult decisions on guys which will be coming “soon.”
Barkley is guaranteed $7.217 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract for 2022. Schoen explained that the reason for being open to offers for nearly everyone on the Giants roster was because of cap space. He said:
"If anyone is going to call and they're interested in any of our players, I'm certainly going to listen. Again, we're in a situation where unfortunately we have to get under the salary cap. We're not in very good salary-cap health."
Schoen continued,
"Again, I'm not going to say yes to every deal, but I'm definitely going to listen and be open to the situations that are best for the New York Giants."
Schoen did state that currently, Daniel Jones is the starting quarterback and that wide receiver Kadarius Toney is probably the only player they would be unwilling to trade. He said:
"I don't think Kadarius is a tradable piece. Again, if somebody calls, we're going to listen. He's a good, young player who our coaches really like. We've been in constant contact with him and we're excited to see what he can do."
NFL Rumors: Where does this leave Saquon Barkley and is there a future in New York for the running back?
It is no secret that Barkley has struggled with injuries and as a result, has only played 15 games over the past two seasons. He finished the 2021 season with 162 rushing attempts for only 593 yards, with an average of 3.7 yards per attempt.
Spoke with two teams, both of whom told me the #Giants’ potential asking price for Saquon Barkley was very significant. One assistant GM also said: “I don’t get the sense they actually want to trade him. To me, this is just postering, but Joe [Schoen] would want a 1.”
Although the Giants are open to a trade, it will not be cheap for another franchise to pry Barkley away from New York. Despite his injuries, he remains extremely talented for someone in his position and would be a valued asset for most teams in the NFL.