Giants’ John Mara explains why Saquon Barkley wasn’t traded at 2023 deadline

New York Giants co-owner John Mara explains why the team opted against trading RB Saquon Barkley at the 2023 deadline.

The New York Giants failed to deal running back Saquon Barkley at the 2023 trade deadline despite sporting a 2-6 record at the time. That decision came back to haunt them when Barkley inked a long-term deal with the Philadelphia Eagles at the onset of free agency.

The Giants ultimately lost Barkley and got nothing in return.

Although they recognized the possibility of being caught flat-footed, Giants co-owner John Mara says they were still attempting to compete at the time so they gambled on keeping Barkley.

“I hate trading guys right at the trade deadline because it almost signals that you’re giving up on the season,” Mara said this week at the Annual League Meeting, via the New York Daily News. “And Saquon, I was still hoping to be able to sign him at some point. It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to do it.”

Although Mara says they weren’t giving up on the season, that didn’t stop general manager Joe Schoen from trading defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks.

In the eyes of Schoen, Barkley was more valuable offensively than Williams was defensively.

“(Barkley) was one of our better offensive players, and we weren’t giving up,” Schoen said. “We still wanted him to go out there and perform for us . . . When (Daniel Jones) was coming back from the neck injury, we wanted to make sure they could go out there and operate. I think Saquon was a big part of that at that time.”

Mara wanted Schoen to find a way to make it work but ultimately, Barkley departed. The Giants never even made him a contract offer.

“That was kind of an ongoing discussion through the year that it could come to this, and they knew my feelings that I was hoping it didn’t come to this,” Mara said. “But at the end of the day, I know sometimes every once in a while I read, ‘Oh, he’s meddling, he’s meddling.’ No. We’ve run our organization the same way for many, many years.”

That also means, contrary to popular belief, that the four-year contract given to Jones was the decision of Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

[lawrence-related id=725643,725640,725632]

Giants owner not ready to sign off on all-grass surface for MetLife

Giants CEO John Mara on the possibility of MetLife switching to a grass field: “We’re not there yet.”

Earlier this year, we learned that MetLife Stadium would host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final and that a grass field would be installed to meet FIFA standards.

So, if that’s the case, why can’t the New York Giants and New York Jets — who play their home games at MetLife — play on grass, too?

“We’re not there yet,” Giants CEO John Mara told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, on Monday when asked about changing the surface to grass.

“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch.”

Another reason is the teams just invested in a new, more player-friendly artificial surface (FieldTurf Core HD) before the 2023 season.

MetLife switched from UBU Speed S5-M as a result of the unusually high number of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 13 years since it opened in 2010.

At the Super Bowl, Jets owner Woody Johnson said that he and Mara spoke “once a week” about switching to an all-grass field but the logistics and other feasibility factors, such as weather, were not in their favor.

MetLife Stadium is a year-round venue that hosts large events ranging from sporting events to world-class concerts and entertainment. Maintaining a grass field would be challenging with all of that use.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Giants owner John Mara weighs in on NFL rule changes

Giants co-owner John Mara weighed in on the recent NFL rule changes.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara was in attendance at the league meetings on Monday. Among the big topics at the league meetings were the rule changes for the upcoming season, which includes the hip-drop tackle rule.

Mara, a member of the competition committee and an advocate for player safety, spoke out about the rule change:

“I think it certainly will, it was a tactic that we had to get out of the game.” Mara told Mike Garafolo. “The injuries were too severe and there were too many of them and in my experience being on the competition committee, the players have never been happy with the safety-inspired rule changes; they always feel like it makes the defensive players’ jobs that much tougher, and it does. But at the end of the day it’s going to protect guys from injuries and it’s just a tactic we had to get out of there. These players are the greatest athletes in the world and every time there’s a rules change, they adapt. They figure out how to tackle the ball carrier without the horse collar, without the helmet to helmet, now they are going to have to do it without the hip-drop maneuver.”

Mara reiterated that the tackle was something they needed to get out of the game due to the injury risk included in such tackles. The rule change has caused quite the controversy this offseason and will continue to do so headed into the 2024 season.

The league also has focus on a new creative kickoff rule and Mara was also asked about that:

“I am in favor of making the change, I think right now we have a play that is just a ceremonial play. You look at the Super Bowl where you had 13 kickoffs and no returns and we don’t want that. We also don’t want the old kickoff because the rate of injury was too high so I think we need to try something; there is a lot of fear about what the unintended consequences will be but we still have a little bit of work to do.”

The new hip-drop tackle rule is going to be a hot topic in the early part of the 2024 season and it will be interesting to see the effect it has on the game.

With every rule change the NFL makes to kickoffs, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for kickoffs to eventually be eliminated from the game.

Mara seems to have a clear interest in rule changes that make the game safer.

Ex-Giant Kyle Rudolph: Giants should stick with Daniel Jones, draft WR

Kyle Rudolph believes the Giants should focus on drafting a WR for Daniel Jones.

While the debate continues on whether the New York Giants should draft a quarterback and move on from Daniel Jones, on Monday, Giants’ owner John Mara said he would support the decision to draft a quarterback.

Ex-Giants tight end Kyle Rudolph was a guest on “Up and Adams” on Monday and just as he has done in the past, Rudolph praised Daniel Jones comparing him to one of the league’s best quarterbacks:

“I love DJ. I think he’s super talented. He has the ability to be a Josh Allen-type quarterback. He has the athletic ability to run the football, he can make every throw. He doesn’t have that quite of a strong arm, but he has an adequately strong arm to make every throw. Can we get the guy a number one wide receiver, please? Like let’s quit messing around.

“I give the Giants credit, they’ve tried to bolster the offensive line; they’ve invested first round picks, they’ve brought free agents in, they’ve tried to address the offensive line. It hasn’t worked as well as they’d hoped but they put the effort there. Can we get the guy a number one wide receiver, please? How can you judge someone who has played in the NFL for now five years, and he’s never had a number one wide receiver. Like, what quarterback goes five years and without being given a number one wide receiver.”

“One hundred percent” Rudolph emphatically responded when asked if he would run it back with Daniel Jones and use the Giants first-round pick on one of the top receivers.

As Rudolph said, the Giants have used resources to address the offensive line. However, it’s not as if the Giants haven’t tried to find Jones a top pass catcher. Between the signing of Kenny Golladay, the draft selection of Kadarius Toney and the acquisition of Darren Waller, none of those pass catchers panned out the way the Giants have hoped.

The Giants have been connected to wide receivers in plenty of mock drafts recently with the draft right around the corner. As it currently stands today, it certainly seems like one of the top wide outs will be available for the Giants at No. 6 overall.

John Mara says Giants’ offensive line woes are ‘ridiculous’

New York Giants co-owner John Mara acknowledged the continued offensive line issues.

The New York Giants have been trying to fix their leaky offensive line for the past decade with little success. They have tried just about everything from selecting linemen high in the draft to doling out big bucks in free agency.

Co-owner John Mara has been scratching his head over the situation and on Monday voiced his displeasure on the issue.

“You’re right it’s ridiculous — and it’s a continuing source of frustration for me,” Mara told reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando per NJ.com. 

“So it’s time to get it fixed. I expect us to be a hell of a lot better this year.”

That could be already in the works as general manager Joe Schoen has been busy signing veteran linemen in free agency this month, mainly at the guard position.

Mara has every right to be peeved. The line has been the poster child for the Giants’ offensive shortcomings for the better part of the last decade.

“Let’s face it: For a while [last season], we couldn’t block anybody,” continued Mara. “That was certainly a priority going into this offseason — to get the offensive line fixed. You can’t win in this league unless you have a good, productive, consistent offensive line. We have to get back to that. If you can’t block, you’re not going to win.”

The Giants appear ready to start the spring with John Michael Schmitz at center, Andrew Thomas at left tackle and Evan Neal on the right side. Free agents Jon Runyon Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor will compete at guard.

Schoen was asked if the team was contemplating shifting Neal to guard. He said on Monday that was not currently in the plans even though Eluemunor played right tackle last season under new line coach Carmen Bricillo in Las Vegas.

Giants owner John Mara: ‘I still believe we’re headed in the right direction’

Coming off a disappointing season, New York Giants owner John Mara believes the team is still headed in the right direction.

The New York Giants took a few steps back in 2023, finishing 6-11 after qualifying for the postseason in 2022.

It was the franchise’s first trip to the playoffs since 2016 and the new general manager/head coach combo of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were seen as franchise saviors.

Giants co-owner John Mara told reporters in an interview at the league meeting in Orlando on Monday that although he was disappointed in the Giants’ performance last season, he still believes the team is “headed in the right direction” under Schoen and Daboll.

The Giants went through another spate of unusually high injuries to key players in 2023, including a season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Daniel Jones.

Daboll had differences with top members of his staff, especially defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey.

Both men have been relieved of their duties, as have several others, and most notably offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saquon Barkley going to Eagles made Giants owner John Mara ‘sick’

Giants owner John Mara said he “hated” to see Saquon Barkley leave for the Eagles and it made him “sick.”

New York Giants CEO John Mara told reporters at the NFL annual league meeting in Orlando on Monday that watching star running back Saquon Barkley leave for the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency made him “sick.”

Barkley signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the Eagles on the first day of free agency, ending his six-year association with Big Blue.

The Giants did not make an offer or a counter offer to Barkley during free agency but had been speaking to his reps about a new contract.

The Giants did not want to use the franchise tag on Barkley for a second straight year, hoping they could work out a deal that would pay him less than the $12.4 million franchise tender price.

Over the past few years, the Giants had offered Barkley several deals, some reportedly for more money than the one he recently accepted from the Eagles.

Mara had dangled the idea that Barkley would be a “Giant for life,” but in this day and age of the NFL that has seen the devaluing of the running back position, that wish would be a hard one to fulfill.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Giants’ John Mara sometimes wishes Brian Daboll would ‘tone it down a little bit’

Giants owner John Mara does not believe the franchise has a culture problem, despite all of the evidence to the contrary.

New York Giants owner John Mara is generally pretty involved in what happens with his team.

He is the principal owner, president and CEO of the franchise and he knows everything that happens with this team, which is why his comments at today’s press conference were somewhat surprising.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll may not behave irrationally, but that doesn’t mean he gets to walk around treating people disrespectfully, either, which he clearly does — and that has obviously led to a culture problem in the Giants’ building.

Don’t agree?

Forget the Wink stuff for now, it’s not even about that.

There are reports that Daboll makes things personal during outbursts, that the current environment is toxic, that assistants from other organizations have been warned to “stay away” from this environment, and that Daboll’s volatility cost him coaching jobs in the past.

While speaking to reporters during the annual league meetings on Monday, Mara admitted he wishes Daboll would “tone it down a little bit” but also downplayed the issue and rejected the idea of a culture problem.

“There are times when I wish he would tone it down a little bit,” Mara said, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “But I’m also in the team meetings, and I see how he acts around his coaches in the office. And he always maintains his cool there. Does he get excitable during the games sometimes? Yeah. So do I. But I don’t think it’s a major issue. I don’t think it affects the culture that we have in the building at all. I still very firmly believe that Brian is the right guy for us going forward. I want him to be himself at the end of the day. If I get to the point where I think he’s acting irrationally and it’s affecting his performance, I certainly would have a word with him. I have not seen that.”

Now consider a few other things.

Ex-Giant Jon Feliciano said he was unsurprised by the Daboll/Martindale fallout, which points to his understanding of how Daboll is perceived.

Several teams, including the Carolina Panthers, blocked staff from interviewing with the Giants.

Whether that was for their franchise or for the protection of their staff members doesn’t really matter, the perception is the same. This led to the Giants’ options for a new defensive coordinator wilting away as the “bigger” names didn’t want to come here, which forced them to adjust their tactics.

The final thing to consider is how the Giants handled Wink’s departure. They worked him out the door by first firing two of his top assistants, Drew and Kevin Wilkins, and that resulted in Wink’s resignation a few days later.

Explain how there is not a culture problem in the building. Would you want to work for a company that conducted business in this way?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it is mind boggling to hear Mara say that there is no culture problem in the organization when there is so much evidence to the contrary.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Giants owner John Mara will ‘support’ drafting a quarterback

New York Giants owner John Mara made it clear he would support the decision to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

New York Giants CEO John Mara, speaking to reporters at the annual league meeting in Orlando on Monday, said he will “support” general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll taking a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

“If they fall in love with the quarterback and believe it’s worth pick No. 6 or moving up, [I] certainly would support that,” Mara said, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Asked if he has met Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who had wowed scouts last weekend — including a contingent of Giants coaches and executives — Mara said he had not.

Mara says he also is still in Daniel Jones’ corner but believes competition at quarterback will be a good thing.

Realistically, Mara is expecting Jones, who Schoen says is now “running on land,” to be under center this season as the starter.

“Is it my expectation? Is it my best guess that he’ll be the starter? Yes,” he said.

The Giants hold the sixth overall selection in this year’s draft and could very well be looking at a top quarterback. Schoen has also said the draft is a deep one when it comes to the position and didn’t rule out taking a signal-caller in the later rounds.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

John Mara expected to address media at NFL annual league meeting

New York Giants CEO John Mara is expected to address the media this week.

The NFL will hold its annual meeting this week down in Orlando and New York Giants CEO John Mara is expected to formally field questions from the media for the first time in nearly a year.

Mara, once accused of being too “hands-on” and influential over the team’s direction, has basically stepped back since hiring Joe Schoen as general manager back in 2022.

NJ.com’s Darryl Slater recently wrote a piece about what subjects Mara might be probed about. They appear to range from his patience level with the current management team and coaching staff to the draft to his perception of how close the team is to contending after a 6-11 showing last season.

“The Giants last reached (and won) the Super Bowl after the 2011 season,” writes Slater. “In 12 seasons since, they have reached the playoffs twice — a one-and-done trip in 2016 and the 1-1 divisional round trip in 2022. Mara isn’t getting any younger (and probably isn’t getting any more patient). He turns 70 in December. Since that most recent Super Bowl title, the Giants have endured records of 9-7, 7-9, 6-10, 6-10, 11-5, 3-13, 5-11, 4-12, 6-10, 4-13, 9-7-1, and 6-11.

Their fans are fed up. Is Mara?”

That is a good point to ponder. Mara’s father, Wellington, viewed the fans as “customers” and even went through the fan mail personally, addressing and answering each letter and concern.

His son appears to be just as caring but the pro sports paradigm has changed vastly since those days. There is a formula for winning in the NFL now that allows the “meek” to “inherit the earth” so to speak. No team should have more than three consecutive losing seasons if they follow the formula.

The Giants veered away from that in the latter days of Jerry Reese’s stewardship and it continued through the archaic, old-school tenure of Dave Gettleman.

With Schoen still putting his stamp on the team, Mara has little choice but to sit back and see how things unfold. The Giants have a chance to draft a new quarterback and move on from Daniel Jones, of whom Mara was a chief proponent.

We’ll find out just how much faith he has in Schoen this week. Schoen’s performance in free agency has far onshore his record in the draft. He may have to outperform this year to gain Mara’s full support again.

[lawrence-related id=725469,725466,725440]