Saquon - did we make the right decision?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I'm just curious. For the last couple of years, there were a whole lot of threads about Saquon and a lot of people believed it was time to move on. Dittos with many of the talking heads. My closest friends who are die-hard Giants' fans told me over and over that we need to cut Saquon

Then...he goes to Philly and looks like the stud he rarely was as a Giant. Now I hear many people say we should have worked out a deal with him that it was a "huge mistake" to let him walk

Are we all that fickle? Would it have been a wise decision, IYO, to match Philly in salary commitment to keep him? Don't get me wrong, I loved Saquon and was one of my favorite Giants of all time. Yet, personally, I think it was a no-brainer to let him walk. We are rebuilding and still have work to do. Even though he was effective at times for us, he was oft-injured, and we weren't exactly dominating (or even winning) games nor did we have a rosy future. We just couldn't build our team around him anymore, IMHO. We proved we couldn't win with him because we were missing the critical pieces for him to thrive in our system and we had a weak supporting cast for him

What say you?

[Ed Vette]

We didn't make a decision, but Schoen did make the right one for the team because without a viable Offensive Line and a QB to balance the Offensive, the team was going nowhere. Good for the team building and for Saquon's career.

That said, if other decisions were made with their contracts, the right decision would have been to tag Jones and pay Saquon. Then there was no doubt the Giants would have drafted a QB. Maybe even in 2023 if they let Jones walk.

[Philosophers]

How many top tier players do we have especially at skill positions?  Answer:  1 less

[TONKA56]

Losing Saquon sucks and it will result in even more struggles for the offense. Defenses can now ignore the run-game altogether.

But it was a band-aid that had to get ripped off and I wonder if he really wanted to be here anymore.

I was tired of listening to the same old conversation about not paying running backs and number 2 overall pick and Gettleman blah blah blah blah blah blah BLAH!!!

[coggs]

Yes.  I dont think there is anyone who didnt think he would put up bigger numbers with the Eagles.  They have a much better OLine and dangerous skill position players all over the field. 

[ozzie]

Saquon has some big games every season and he'll probably have a couple more playing with Philly where he's not the only threat, but how long before he gets injured again?
I wish him luck, but I don't think the Giants made a mistake letting him go.

[Philosophers]

For a team that has almost no star players, how is it a good thing to let him go?  Cant pay him?  Restructure 12 guys who stink.

[PSUBeirut]

My opinion hasn't changed and won't change as Saquon continues to do Saquon things and the Giants continue to do Giants things.   It was the right decision to let him go to a team that would pay him and allow him to shine this year.  It was the WRONG decision not to sign him to a long-term deal that was cheaper than what he is getting paid now and at the same time would have allowed the G-men to slap the franchise tag on DJ, which would 100% have been the right move.

[jgrangers2]

For a team that has almost no star players, how is it a good thing to let him go?  Cant pay him?  Restructure 12 guys who stink.

A running back has no value to a team like the Giants. Running back is the ultimate luxury position and the Giants can't really afford that luxury right now.

[coggs]

My opinion hasn't changed and won't change as Saquon continues to do Saquon things and the Giants continue to do Giants things.   It was the right decision to let him go to a team that would pay him and allow him to shine this year.  It was the WRONG decision not to sign him to a long-term deal that was cheaper than what he is getting paid now and at the same time would have allowed the G-men to slap the franchise tag on DJ, which would 100% have been the right move.

They didnt have the cap space last season to have Jones play on the Franchise tag.  Would have been about $30MM.  Way Jones's deal was set up, last year's hit was not as hight.

[uconnjack8]

It was the correct decision to not pay what the Eagles paid for Barkley. 

It's sad his talent was wasted for 5 years because the FO couldn't put together a competent OL or add significant talent at other skill positions. 

It's not at all surprising that he had a good 1st game for a team with a top 5 (or close) OL and one of the best WR tandems in the NFL. 

[kartanoman]

It was the correct decision to not pay what the Eagles paid for Barkley. 

It's sad his talent was wasted for 5 years because the FO couldn't put together a competent OL or add significant talent at other skill positions. 

It's not at all surprising that he had a good 1st game for a team with a top 5 (or close) OL and one of the best WR tandems in the NFL.

I agree.

Where he's at right now is a perfect fit just as McCaffrey is with the 49ers. Both have the players to help make their big name runners carry them when needed.

Having said that, Barkley goes to Philly with an injury history and McCaffrey was hurt before the season started. That's the risk with running backs who are no longer young with pep in their step.

But they're great to have if you can afford to have one.

Peace!

[Philosophers]

A running back has no value to a team like the Giants. Running back is the ultimate luxury position and the Giants can't really afford that luxury right now.

Winning is an accumulation of talent built to execute a strategy.  A balanced running and passing game should be part of that strategy.  Saquon helped with one part of that.

[H-Town G-Fan]

Winning is an accumulation of talent built to execute a strategy.  A balanced running and passing game should be part of that strategy.  Saquon helped with one part of that.

Balance doesn't require a star being paid disproportionately to what is effective for the team. It's diminishing returns. The Giants wanted to transition to a passing offense and believed they could get enough running from a committee style approach. Schoen said it himself: you're not paying Jones $40MM to hand the ball off. It remains to be seen whether the Giants chosen alternative can be effective. One snap shot in an effort that quickly got out of control isn't going to tell us much.

Also, while no one doubts Saquon's talent, his availability is questionable. That isn't going to be borne out after 1 game--and I don't think the Eagles can run him 25+ times every Sunday or they will grind him down quickly.

[Giant Jim]

A running back has no value to a team like the Giants. Running back is the ultimate luxury position and the Giants can't really afford that luxury right now.

Teams need balanced running and passing game threats, so running backs are not a luxury.