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With the winds of change once again blowing in East Rutherford, many anticipate a personnel bloodbath for the New York Giants this offseason.
Already, rumor and speculation surround several players, including quarterback Daniel Jones, safety Logan Ryan, wide receiver Sterling Shepard and yes, even running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley, specifically, has been the focal point of many mock trades and trade speculation. But at least one former Giants scout — Steve Verderosa — believes trading Barkley would be a counterproductive measure.
To the general public 7 million dollars is a huge number. In the NFL landscape it isn't. You have bad backup QBs making more than that. If Barkley comes back with a monster year & it makes the QB & team better than it was worth every penny.
— Steven E Verderosa (@SteveV_PFN) February 26, 2022
Every year for every team is a rebuilding/retool year. That is what the draft,free agency & salary cap is all about. Giant fans who would you rather have, Barkley with the chance that he could be great again or Adoree Jackson who is way over paid !
— Steven E Verderosa (@SteveV_PFN) February 26, 2022
The issue isn’t so much that Barkley is guaranteed $7.217 million in 2022, it’s that the Giants have debilitating salary cap issues and may not be able to justify paying that for an oft-injured running back.
The trade proposals and speculation don’t come from a place of disrespect, but reality. Barkley was electric as a rookie in 2018 but has seen injuries consume his career ever since. And even when “healthy,” his production has completely fallen off a cliff — he’s been out-produced by Devontae Booker and Wayne Gallman over the previous two seasons.
And more to Verderosa’s point, Adoree’ Jackson played well for the Giants in 2022 and although overpaid, adds value at a premium position. It’s also possible that the Giants trade James Bradberry, making Jackson that much more important.
Jackson is guaranteed value. Barkley is potential value. And therein lies the problem facing the Giants and general manager Joe Schoen. How much can a cash-strapped organization really afford to pay a non-premium player based on potential alone?
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