Agent's Take: Inside the Giants' mishandling of Saquon Barkley

[MightyGiants]

Joel Corry
Former Sports Agent

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-inside-the-giants-mishandling-of-saquon-barkley-and-how-the-eagles-rb-is-getting-the-last-laugh/


https://x.com/corryjoel/status/1861879425555698082

[todge]

Joel Corry
Former Sports Agent

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents-take-inside-the-giants-mishandling-of-saquon-barkley-and-how-the-eagles-rb-is-getting-the-last-laugh/


https://x.com/corryjoel/status/1861879425555698082

Are we now at the point that Schoen has "mishandled " many decisions which has resulted in one of the worst teams in football?

The list is long and wide. Yet our GM continues to defend himself by saying "we're close, really close ". I believe the Captain of the Titanic said the same thing with a mammoth iceberg looming ahead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EDjohnst1981]

Interesting that it's taken a near MVP season for these types of articles to come out.

On this board, there were a mere handful of posters that wanted Barkley back.

This bandwagon jumping is maddening.

Barkley wasn't right for the Giants at 13mil. That doesn't mean he's right for someone else.

[TDToomer]

Interesting that it's taken a near MVP season for these types of articles to come out.

On this board, there were a mere handful of posters that wanted Barkley back.

This bandwagon jumping is maddening.

Barkley wasn't right for the Giants at 13mil. That doesn't mean he's right for someone else.

Well obviously he was right for someone else. Any team would want him. I am really puzzled by your last sentence.

[kingm56]

Well obviously he was right for someone else. Any team would want him. I am really puzzled by your last sentence.

What's so puzzling? By the time the Giants built a team around Barkley, and secured a QB, he would be in his late 20s or early 30s, well past a RBs prime years.  Heck, his current contact only has 2 more years. 

[Gmo11]

They "mishandled" the situation by drafting him and then not immediately attempting win.

They "mishandled" not trading him at the deadline last year.

They did not "mishandle" this past off-season. They are getting 80% of the production at significantly less money and also...he didn't want to be here! I'm not sure any amount of money offered would have kept him from joining a team that was quite possibly a Saquon Barkley away from a super bowl. The Giants are not.

[MightyGiants]

Interesting that it's taken a near MVP season for these types of articles to come out.

On this board, there were a mere handful of posters that wanted Barkley back.

This bandwagon jumping is maddening.

Barkley wasn't right for the Giants at 13mil. That doesn't mean he's right for someone else.

I think there is some validity in the bandwagon claims, but I think there things make this a special case:


1)  Hard Knocks-  Nothing like a video of the owner literally predicting the nightmare scenario that the Giants are currently enduring

2)  Barkley is not just playing well with the Eagles but having an MVP-type season.  First (as the stats from @kingm56 demonstrated), Barkley found the fountain of youth.  This is unheard of for a running back his age, and his injury history is actually getting faster and returning to the speed he had as a rookie while under the care of the Eagles.   Second, no matter the logic and analytics that supported the move, it's hard to see a player walk away for nothing and then have an MVP-caliber season with a rival carrying the rival to repeated victories.

3)  The Giants suck bad- It certainly would have been easier to stomach if, after the move, the Giants were not literally the worst team in the league (at least tied for the worst record)

[PSUBeirut]

I think a few things can be true, and are true, of this unique situation:

1.  I think Rich is 100% right.  This is not just a run-of-the-mill "let a RB walk because of $$$/cap concerns" situations.  This has never happened before, to my knowledge- that a high-quality player/person, team captain, pillar of the community is allowed to walk.  Then they go to a bitter rival AND have an MVP-quality season, especially at a position not named quarterback.  It sucks but it is what it is.
2.  It can still be true (and is true, IMO), that the decision was the "right" one for both organizations and the player, despite this crazy amount of success.  Saquon did not want to be here, the Giants do need to rebuild and you don't do that around a RB anymore, and the Eagles clearly are benefitting from Saquon as an additional piece to an already-threatening offense. 

But here's the thing I think we all need to think about more- how does a team-first guy like Saquon, who worked his ass off not only on the field but in the locker room, on the sidelines as captain, in the weight room, in the rehab center, and in the community at large.....  come to the place he does NOT want to be a part of that same organization he worked his ass off for?  How does an organization screw this kind of player up so bad they'd be perfectly fine going to your most bitter rival? 

To me, it's all about relationships.  And it's clear as day to me that Joe Schoen screwed the pooch on this relationship in any number of ways.  I don't think we need to rehash all of this and I apologize for doing so, but making offers and then pulling offers, then never coming close to that level of offer again because of a perceived downswing in the RB market (ie, using the market as leverage to try and screw over your best player)....and then tagging him and paying DJ the big contract instead.  Then the guy swallows his pride and comes to camp on time to GET BACK TO WORK to help your team...and the following year you don't budge even an inch on your contract and tell him essentially- go on out and see what your value is and come back to us (presuming he wouldn't be able to land a big contract and would have to come crawling back to your offer amount)....

Of course the dude wanted out.  Joe Schoen clearly pushed him out through his stupidity. 

[T200]

I think a few things can be true, and are true, of this unique situation:

1.  I think Rich is 100% right.  This is not just a run-of-the-mill "let a RB walk because of $$$/cap concerns" situations.  This has never happened before, to my knowledge- that a high-quality player/person, team captain, pillar of the community is allowed to walk.  Then they go to a bitter rival AND have an MVP-quality season, especially at a position not named quarterback.  It sucks but it is what it is.
2.  It can still be true (and is true, IMO), that the decision was the "right" one for both organizations and the player, despite this crazy amount of success.  Saquon did not want to be here, the Giants do need to rebuild and you don't do that around a RB anymore, and the Eagles clearly are benefitting from Saquon as an additional piece to an already-threatening offense. 

But here's the thing I think we all need to think about more- how does a team-first guy like Saquon, who worked his ass off not only on the field but in the locker room, on the sidelines as captain, in the weight room, in the rehab center, and in the community at large.....  come to the place he does NOT want to be a part of that same organization he worked his ass off for?  How does an organization screw this kind of player up so bad they'd be perfectly fine going to your most bitter rival? 

To me, it's all about relationships.  And it's clear as day to me that Joe Schoen screwed the pooch on this relationship in any number of ways.  I don't think we need to rehash all of this and I apologize for doing so, but making offers and then pulling offers, then never coming close to that level of offer again because of a perceived downswing in the RB market (ie, using the market as leverage to try and screw over your best player)....and then tagging him and paying DJ the big contract instead.  Then the guy swallows his pride and comes to camp on time to GET BACK TO WORK to help your team...and the following year you don't budge even an inch on your contract and tell him essentially- go on out and see what your value is and come back to us (presuming he wouldn't be able to land a big contract and would have to come crawling back to your offer amount)....

Of course the dude wanted out.  Joe Schoen clearly pushed him out through his stupidity. 

Saquon wanted one million dollars more in guaranteed money than the Giants offered.

Schoen offered one million dollars less than Saquon wanted.

It's OK for Saquon to stand firm on what he wants but it's stupid for Schoen to stand firm on what he was willing to pay?

How many winning seasons did we have with Saquon? Was he a difference maker for the team?

I would not call it stupidity when you realize you're paying top dollar for a guy you can't block for.

[Philosophers]

Saquon wanted one million dollars more in guaranteed money than the Giants offered.

Schoen offered one million dollars less than Saquon wanted.

It's OK for Saquon to stand firm on what he wants but it's stupid for Schoen to stand firm on what he was willing to pay?

How many winning seasons did we have with Saquon? Was he a difference maker for the team?

I would not call it stupidity when you realize you're paying top dollar for a guy you can't block for.

Read what you wrote.  $1 million apart in guaranteed money for a top 4 RB in the NFL.  You dont lose top 4 players over $1 million EVER.  Cutting off your nose to spite your face.  You simply rework someone's else contract for that $1 million.  After signing for $160 million you dont think DJ would have adjusted his contract by the difference to retain him?  That is beyond stupid on Schoen's part.  If Brandon Browne was also in on it then he's an idiot too.

[T200]

Read what you wrote.  $1 million apart in guaranteed money for a top 4 RB in the NFL.  You dont lose top 4 players over $1 million EVER.  Cutting off your nose to spite your face.  You simply rework someone's else contract for that $1 million.  After signing for $160 million you dont think DJ would have adjusted his contract by the difference to retain him?  That is beyond stupid on Schoen's part.  If Brandon Browne was also in on it then he's an idiot too.

Look, I'm a Saquon fan. I would love to have him back but I also understand the facts:

- He was a top 10 RB in one out of the last 5 seasons.

- He wasn't the reason we lost but he also wasn't the reason we won.

- We did/do not have the line to open holes for him.

- He is having a career year in Philly because they can do what we couldn't.

- Our record would be no better if he was still here and we'd have less money to sign other players.

As I said earlier, it's perfectly fine for a player to say he wants to be "a Giant for life" but quibble over 1 million dollars but the other side of the negotiations is stupid for not giving in.

I understand how you feel about it. I don't feel the same.

[Bob In PA]

Well obviously he was right for someone else. Any team would want him. I am really puzzled by your last sentence.

TD: Just guessing but I also noticed the last sentence and chalked it up to typographic error. Bob

[Bob In PA]

Of course the dude wanted out.  Joe Schoen clearly pushed him out through his stupidity. 

PSU: Solid post as usual. NFL fandom is populated mostly with "doubting Thomas" types. You gotta believe! Bob