Even before the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, many were critical about taking a running back that high in the draft.
While Barkley was more than impressive in his first season, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, injuries have decimated the last few years for the Penn State product. Of course, with Barkley’s attitude and drive to be the best he can be, many expected him to be a contender for Comeback Player of the Year.
Earlier this week, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports named Barkley as a player the Giants should trade:
New York could certainly hang onto the former first-rounder as a guinea pig for new coach Brian Daboll’s offense. But due $7.2M in a contract year, with a future extension likely to cost the Giants anywhere between $12M and $15M per year, they should be seeking any reasonable offers they can get. Barkley is just 25 with freakish (and often injured) physical tools, but that money would be better spent on fixing QB, the O-line, and pretty much every other position. They could also use any extra picks for their rebuild.
Although Barkley certainly didn’t live up to expectations last season, neither did the Giants as a whole.
When healthy, Barkley is obviously one of the best running backs in the game, though many wonder if he will ever return to being anywhere close to the game-changing talent he was during his rookie campaign. It’s important to note that the roster on the offensive side of the ball has underachieved around Barkley, particularly the offensive line.
Early in the 2021 season, rumors surfaced around the Ravens possibly having interest in Barkley. Obviously, no trade went through, but there are still some who believe the Ravens would be a good destination for Barkley.
At this point, it’s hard to know how the new regime of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll feel about Barkley. Especially considering they came over from the Buffalo Bills, who were an extremely pass focused the last couple years.
It’s also hard to say what kind of trade capital the Giants could get in return for Barkley given his injury history the last few years.
As the Giants enter a critical offseason where they have plenty of work to do restructuring the roster and clearing cap space, it’s likely no player is untouchable in the trade market. If the right offer were to come along, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to move Barkley.
