When the New York Giants decided to let their former franchise player, Saquon Barkley, leave in free agency, it felt like an inflection point for this current front office regime.
Now sure, the Giants are no strangers to making unusual calls in free agency, the draft, and via trade, as Dave Gettleman built a mountain of mediocrity on his mid-decision-making, but with the former GM out the door and Joe Schoen tasked with getting the team back on track, allowing Barkley to leave, to Philadelphia no less, could be a first paragraph line in his eventual firing, should things go south in a hurry.
And yet, Schoen isn't the only person who will be under pressure to succeed because of Barkley's exit, as Devin Singletary, the player responsible for replacing him, will be under a microscope, with his stats compared to the Eagles' starting rusher weekly.
Standing 5-foot-8, 194 pounds, Singletary has a fairly well-traveled running back through his first six seasons in the NFL, initially landing in Buffalo as a third-round pick out of FAU before signing with the Houston Texans last season on a one-year, prove-it deal with the Houston Texans. Initially stuck at the RB2 spot behind Dameon Pierce, Hines ended up having a breakout season in 2023, rushing the ball 216 times for 898 yards and four touchdowns, all the while only starting 10 of the 17 games he appeared in.
Fresh off the best season of his career, Singletary cashed in in a major way, signing a three-year, $16.5 million deal, or roughly $3.75 million AAV less than Barkley is getting from Philadelphia. While it's safe to say Singletary could produce 75 percent of Barkley's production at 50 percent of his contract price, it's never a good sign to see a team lose their best player because he's getting “too old” when the player they replaced him with was born in the same year.
Will Singletary work out? Only time will tell, but it's safe to say he will be under pressure to produce early on, as his every move will be compared to the player he's replacing.
Hard Knocks showed the Giants lose Saquon Barkley in real-time
Because the Giants were the subjects of Hard Knocks‘ new offseason documentary, Hard Knocks Offseason, fans around the league have been given a first-hand peak into how a team does its offseason, including making the tough calls that need to happen in free agency.
One such call Schoen had to make was with Ed Berry, the agent of the Eagles' new RB1. Discussing how the market was shaping out for the player once considered the face of the Giants, Schoen learned that Barkley's asking price may be outside of his price range, even if he asked for a chance to match it.
“Hello? Ed Berry, what's up, buddy? Alright, well, I'm putting this together, so in order to get Saquon, what would we have to do? I mean, again, this was kind of the whole point, was you would go out, find out what it is, and I'll just say, ‘Yeah, we're not going to be able to do that' or ‘Yes we can,'” Schoen explained via NFL.com. “I mean, you've talked to him, if he wants to be here, there's no sense in going back and forth. You say, ‘Hey, this is what he wants to be here,' we'll say, ‘Yes, we'll do it,' or ‘No, we won't' as I'm going through this. So $12.5 [million], you said? On a three-year? And then what'd you say the guarantee was? 25 [million] guaranteed. OK, so that's, if I offered him today a three-year deal at $12.5 [million] APY and $25 [guaranteed], he'd be a Giant? OK, alright, well I'll give you a call back, this may be above me on Saquon, but if I call you back and it's three for 12.5 APY and 25 guaranteed, there you go? We'll bring him down today, we'll fly you up, do a press conference. Alright, appreciate you, buddy.”
After evaluating the scenarios, checking the books, and calling team owner John Mora, Schoen ultimately had to call Berry back, letting him know his team was out on the former PSU rusher.
“Good day for you, good day to be Ed Berry,” Schoen said. “What's he going to get? North of what you said? 12.5 APY, 25 guaranteed, north of that? OK, we're not going to go there. We're out. … Is it in the division? I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for what's going to happen, that's all.”
Now sure, on paper, teams have to make these decisions every single offseason and are judged based on them by fans both in the moment and for years to come, but this time, the Giants, however, aired out their dirty laundry in front of a camera, and as a result, the decision become all the more consequential, not to mention embarrassing, if Barkley balls out on South Philly. Considering the players around him, that feels like a pretty safe bet.
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