Who could have possibly guessed that New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s nonchalant dismissal of Saquon Barkley would have haunting repercussions?
Almost everyone.
That includes director of pro scouting Chris Rossetti, who expressed concerns during that now-famous personnel meeting after the 2023 season featured on Hard Knocks in which he questioned Schoen and Daboll’s willingness to simply let the superstar running back walk in free agency rather than retain him or try to get something for him on the trade market.
And, of course, there was a hint of Nostradamus-like fortune-telling to his warnings:
“Put him behind [the Philadelphia Eagles’] offensive line, there might be value to another team that they’d be willing to kind of give up a pick or an asset to get him,” Rossetti said.
“Franchising and trading him I don’t think is realistic,” Schoen said.
“Are we positive that nobody is going pay him that kind of money?” Rossetti asked.
“Who would you say would go sign a running back to that dollar amount?” Schoen rebutted.
“I mean, anyone that has money to spend,” Rossetti said.
“There’s a lot of running backs in free agency,” Schoen said.
“Yeah, but are they any potential difference makers, really, after you watch the film?” Rossetti asked.
As soon as Barkley was on the open market, the Eagles jumped and were one of the immediate favorites to sign him, prompting co-owner John Mara to utter the infamous line, “I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that.”
Not only did Barkley go to the division-rival Eagles on a three-year, $37.8 million deal, Schoen then had the audacity to tell Mara that “we’re going to be fine.”
Just a few hours after the Giants were stomped on 30-7 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to drop to 2-9 on the season — their first game following the release of Daniel Jones, who Schoen and Daboll signed to a four-year, $160 million deal in preference over Barkley — the former Giants’ rusher went off for 255 rushing yards and 302 scrimmage yards in Philadephia’s 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams to improve to 9-2 on the season.
Both the 255 rushing yards and 302 scrimmage yards are Eagles franchise records while becoming just the sixth player in NFL history to have two 70-plus-yard rushing touchdowns in a single game.
He became the third player in NFL history to amass 500 scrimmage yards over a two-game span, joining Walter Payton in 1977 and Ollie Matson in 1954.
His 1,649 yards through 11 games are the second-most with a new team in NFL history behind only Eric Dickerson in 1983.
Meanwhile, Schoen and Daboll decided to go with Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy, who combined to rush for 45 yards against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
The fact that they tried to sell this notion that Barkley could not continue the explosive style of play that made him a superstar and one of the lone bright spots of a dysfunctional franchise over the previous five years is laughable. It is even more comical when you realize that part of their decision not to even offer Barkley a contract back in March as he walked to Philadelphia was because they wasted over $80 million for two years of Jones, who went 3-13 under center during that time.
This is not just a bad miss; this is a generational one that should be a driving force behind the departures of both the general manager and the head coach. It is clear that their evaluation skills are not up to snuff.
Are these the decision-makers Mara wants to potentially draft the franchise’s next quarterback this spring?
