Barkley gives "his side" of the story

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/Doug_Analytics/status/1815706335272395176

[EDjohnst1981]

Ah I just copied this into the Episode 3 thread. Please delete.

[T200]

I hope he has someone in his corner to explain to him that the NFL is a business, not a relationship. There's no room for emotions in business. He took every offer the Giants made him personally and he held a grudge. It's a business deal... either you agree to the terms or not. There's no slapping of faces. He needs to get out of his feelings.

[MightyGiants]

Ah I just copied this into the Episode 3 thread. Please delete.

I will leave it there as well.  I felt like this (especially being a slow time) deserved it's own thread.

[MightyGiants]

I hope he has someone in his corner to explain to him that the NFL is a business, not a relationship. There's no room for emotions in business. He took every offer the Giants made him personally and he held a grudge. It's a business deal... either you agree to the terms or not. There's no slapping of faces. He needs to get out of his feelings.

Tim,

I got a similar take.  Barkley seemed to tie his self-worth to the offers he received, when in reality, the offers were tied to the position he plays and the injuries he has sustained.

[Leek21]

I hope he has someone in his corner to explain to him that the NFL is a business, not a relationship. There's no room for emotions in business. He took every offer the Giants made him personally and he held a grudge. It's a business deal... either you agree to the terms or not. There's no slapping of faces. He needs to get out of his feelings.

I don't think anyone needs to explain that too Barkley.  He took the offer from the Eagles showing he understands.
As for him feeling the offer by Schoen was a "slap in the face", that's just how he feels and he has a right to feel that way.  In fact, I agree with him, that was a low ball offer to a guy who has performed exceptionally and has a ton still to give.  Others can disagree.

I think the Eagles got a great player which is also very unfortunate.

[MightyGiants]

A longer video

https://x.com/nickfalato/status/1815753582014070838

[T200]

I'm getting annoyed by his lack of accountability. He declined TWO OFFERS before they even spoke to Jones and his agent. But he keeps talking about not getting respect. He comes off as a child in a man's body.

[DaveBrown74]

This is just a theory and to be clear I am not presenting this as fact:

We know for certain Mara hated the idea of Barkley no longer being a Giant, especially if he ended up in Philly. He said that very clearly on the show. I get the feeling Schoen never seriously intended to keep Barkley, and that's not because Barkley isn't a very good player or because he didn't like him, but rather because Schoen recognized that it made more sense to deploy capital towards other areas of the team than to an injury-prone RB who, although he can still play, has perhaps seen his best years already.

Nevertheless, Schoen knew his boss may not have quite seen things the same way, and I suspect there may have been an element of "going through the motions" with Barkley to make it at least appear that a genuine attempt was made to keep him. I think Schoen was making sure he didn't go quite far enough to actually win the bidding war, but he was also making sure it didn't look to the owner like he was just telling Barkley to take a hike.

However, Barkley isn't a complete fool, so he was able to kind of see the forest through the trees and now still feels a little slighted by Schoen for valuing him lower than the market. Schoen though has plausible deniability against any accusation from above that he didn't try at all.

Again, just my theory on the dynamics of this and what was going through each involved party's head.

[T200]

This is just a theory and to be clear I am not presenting this as fact:

We know for certain Mara hated the idea of Barkley no longer being a Giant, especially if he ended up in Philly. He said that very clearly on the show. I get the feeling Schoen never seriously intended to keep Barkley, and that's not because Barkley isn't a very good player or because he didn't like him, but rather because Schoen recognized that it made more sense to deploy capital towards other areas of the team than to an injury-prone RB who, although he can still play, has perhaps seen his best years already.

Nevertheless, Schoen knew his boss may not have quite seen things the same way, and I suspect there may have been an element of "going through the motions" with Barkley to make it at least appear that a genuine attempt was made to keep him. I think Schoen was making sure he didn't go quite far enough to actually win the bidding war, but he was also making sure it didn't look to the owner like he was just telling Barkley to take a hike.

However, Barkley isn't a complete fool, so he was able to kind of see the forest through the trees and now still feels a little slighted by Schoen for valuing him lower than the market. Schoen though has plausible deniability against any accusation from above that he didn't try at all.

Again, just my theory on the dynamics of this and what was going through each involved party's head.

I see it the same way, Jeff.

My issue is with Barkley and the lack of maturity and responsibility he's displayed in all of this. As I mentioned, he turned down two offers before Schoen turned his attention to Jones and then Barkley turned down a third offer before they tagged him. And it was reported that they were only 1 million apart on guaranteed money. He could make that up in endorsements just from being in the marketing capital of the world. So his repeated statements of wanting to be a Giant for life falls way short of being honest and genuine, especially since the difference was 1 million dollars.

He doesn't come across as being a man of his words. If it were me, even if I felt it in my bones that Schoen wasn't going to match any offer I came back with, I still would have given him the opportunity to tell me 'No' to my face rather than just going by what I felt.

"Hey Joe, I got an offer from the Eagles for XX million with XX guaranteed. I know you said before what your ceiling was but I just wanted to give you a chance to match, because that's what I said I would do." That's maturity and integrity.

[Painter]

Perhaps, Barkley doesn't fully appreciate, or even understand that it's team sport in which the Giants Managment must measure the worth of any individual player in that context namely, how much has he contributed to it's success in terms of Wins and Losses and how much should that be worth going forward. That may seem simplistic, but how big is your pie and how you choose to slice is no less so.

The Giants had just 1 winning season in 6 years with Barkley. That occurred in the one year that they got winning QB play from a healthy Daniel Jones which then quicky reverted to previous form. We do know that otherwise the Barkley Giants have had a 25/57 W/L record including the 5/11 of his OROY in Eli's last season.

Does anyone- certainly not the "media"- expect the Giants to have another winning season this year with or without Barkley, and how much does he think they coulda/shoulda afford to have paid him in such circumstances? Apparently, not as much as the Ugles. End of discussion. But then as long as there really IS whining in baseball, there will be in football as well.

Cheers!

[4 Aces]

Chris Bisignano has touched on this on the Giants Insider podcast, but it's worth repeating here:

Barkley thinks he's the absolute cream of the crop. Literally the greatest player who ever lived. The Giants don't. They think he has elite leadershiop skills but football talent-wise, he's good, not great. And they aren't paying great $$$ for a good player. 

Barkley has this incredibly well-crafted and likable public demeanor but underneath it all is one of the biggest, most fragile egos you'll ever see. It's part of the overall makeup that has created such an insane athlete.

Unfortunately, he's more Jane than Tarzan. More beach body that All Pro football player.

He will be productive and borderline unstoppable on hand-offs in PHI, just like Miles Sanders and D.Swift were. And he probably made sense for them as a "finishing piece" type signing. But I think the Giants evaluation is correct, and I think the Eagles overpaid for him trying to stick it to the Giants.

[killarich]

A longer video

https://x.com/nickfalato/status/1815753582014070838

Barkley man just shut up already ..... from one of my favorites to being the most annoying

Dude you GOT your offer(s) you just didn't like it .....

Then you don't LIKE the tag .... But then go on to say how you actually came out on top because you played on the fully paid tag then got your contract elsewhere , came out on top .... That in itself is 100% proves that it was all about the money ..... which is fine .... But for a few years you said that wasn't the case ... you even mentioned a hometown discount at one point

You are full of sh** Saquon.... Enjoy Philly ... those fans don't need to like you nor do they need you.... Don't go a month of 40 yard games ..... you are a small piece there not the focal point you're here ... aka expendable

Just know this Saquon.... If for some reason Eagles flop.... And they need to start clearing house .... You will be one of the earliest casualties.... The had a great running game without you

Yes we get it you didn't get a contract offer .... But Joe was on the phone with your agent ... and numbers were thrown out there ..... you got your contract ..... but stop making it seem like you were never wanted in NY.... Because you were at one point

Grow up