Former Bills front office staffer Joe Schoen took over as Giants general manager in January. As he seeks to get the proud franchise out of a serious rut—including a five-year playoff drought—all options are on the table, including a trade involving former No. 2 pick Saquon Barkley.
The superstar running back is one of the most electric players in the league when healthy, but he’s struggled to stay on the field and hasn’t truly elevated the floundering Giants offense when active.
New York is currently projected to be $12 million over the salary cap in 2022, a major issue for Schoen given how the team has struggled with that roster. He doesn’t sound afraid to make a big splash to reshape the team, even if it involves dealing a popular player like Barkley.
When asked if the running back could be on the table, Schoen certainly didn’t rule it out, something he did for others like quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
“We’re still working through that, but I’m open to everything,” Schoen said, via ESPN. “Like whether it’s trading player for player; I’ll listen to anybody. If it’s trading a couple players—I’m not going to say the entire roster, [that] we’re open for business on the entire roster. But if anyone is going to call and they're interested in any of our players. I’m certainly going to listen.
“Again, we’re in a situation where unfortunately we have to get under the salary cap. We’re not in very good salary-cap health. Again, I’m not going to say yes to every deal, but I’m definitely going to listen and be open to the situations that are best for the New York Giants.”
Barkley, 25, is set to make over $7.2 million this year on his fifth-year option, before hitting unrestricted free agency next year.
After a stellar rookie season in which he rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, and totaled over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, Barkley has missed 21 games over the last three seasons. In 2021, he ran for 593 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games, adding 263 yards and two scores through the air.
New York finished 4–13 on the year, and Joe Judge was fired after two years at the helm of the franchise, replaced by Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
