NFL analyst defends Giants over Saquon Barkley decision

With the 3-2 Philadelphia Eagles set to play at the 2-4 New York Giants on Sunday, fans and reporters spent portions of this week revisiting decisions made by Giants general manager Joe Schoen that resulted in star running back Saquon Barkley signing with the Eagles as a free agent this past March.

Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team is among the noteworthy analysts who believe Schoen made the right move by letting Barkley hit the open market after the Giants finished the 2023 season at 6-11.

"The Barkley thing, I’m not going to criticize — because of the nature of the running back [position] and the multi-year investment in the older running back," Palazzolo recently said, as shared by Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I get it. That’s fine. If you’re trying to build around a running game in today’s NFL, you’re going to have a tough time winning."

Schoen negotiated with Barkley's camp during and after the 2022 NFL season before the Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a contract that allowed Schoen to retain Barkley's rights for 2023 via the non-exclusive franchise tag. The Giants then let Barkley explore the market earlier this year, with Schoen ultimately deciding he didn't want to match the three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed that the ball-carrier received from the Eagles.

While the Giants are in the middle of a rebuild, the Eagles were always expected to compete for at least a playoff spot this season even despite their collapse during the second half of the 2023 campaign. Big Blue could bench a healthy Jones at any time this fall to ensure the club can release him during the upcoming offseason.

"Identity [on offense] should be putting as many difficult-to-cover playmakers out there and having the ability to game plan week to week to put guys in position to make plays," Palazzolo continued. "That’s how the best teams are built -- with offensive options. Not [with] a guy that you hand the ball off to over and over. That’s how you want to run your offense. The Giants have one of those guys in (rookie wide receiver) Malik Nabers."

The 2024 Giants probably weren't winning much of note with or without Barkley regardless of how well the 27-year-old would've played under head coach Brian Daboll. Some New York fans may wish that Barkley could've retired a one-club man, but Schoen deserves credit for making the right business decision as it pertains to the Giants' long-term future.