There’s no perfect world where the Giants’ Saquon Barkley would be a perfect fit.

mike vacaro

NFL

by mike vacaro

Look, if we want to, we can take sides on this issue and start slapping blame and anger on like paint on a shed. Because it feels better to stand up the bad guys, yell at them, and then tear them down.

It is incredible that there can be multiple truths in the same realm. for example:

• Dave Gettleman made a grave miscalculation by taking Saquan Barkley with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft — the truth.
• Barkley was phenomenal when he was healthy, able to score from anywhere on the field and help in any way he could to solve defenses – that’s true.
• Barkley was injured. a lot. – truth

The Giants valued him as both a player and a person. But not at a maximum of $46.75 million, rather than the guaranteed $26 million, and when their roster still has plenty of holes to fill.

The Eagles wanted to change the narrative of their disastrous end to the season, and that’s exactly what they thought Barkley was worth. To them.

It’s really that simple. There are no bogeymen here. No cheating. Barkley isn’t a disloyal pig who is the Giants’ blood enemy, any more than he is a ruthless incompetent who wouldn’t let the Giants take over one of the most exciting players to ever wear the blue vestments.

(And some people in Giantsdom who like to blame John Mara for everything except snow in the spring, and who’s to blame Wellington Mara would have been more loyal…well, Let me remind you: The old man could have stopped Sam Huff (in the old days it didn’t ship all the way to Washington, and it never did).

Does it hurt a little extra that it’s the Eagles? Of course it is. The Army hates losing to the Navy in anything. Corleone had a way of dealing with the players scouted by Tattaglia. Sports are intuitive, geography is intuitive, and their marriage can get a little crazy at times.

But if we think about this issue clearly, it can be summarized as follows.

The Giants wanted to keep Barkley. But not at his price.

Barkley wanted to stay with the Giants.But not at that price

And he’s an Eagle. Gettleman’s quotes from the moment he drafted Barkley are ridiculous in real time and even more ridiculous in hindsight, about the hand of God and all that, but the one that makes the most sense to this day is this one.

“You really have to imagine this guy wearing a gold jacket.”

Ask yourself these questions. Is Barkley the man in the gold jacket at this moment, right now? Certainly, he had many shining moments. But that doesn’t buy you a ticket to Canton. And so far, he’s only won two playoff games in six years. He’s hurt a lot. He’s had just as many games when he’s clearly coming back to form as he has when he’s actually at his best.

Of course, this is not all his fault. He’s had to work behind a range of offensive lines, ranging from bad to atrocious. Despite that, he had two seasons as a rookie in 2018 and 2022, and he was as good as any of the Giants’ running backs, including Gifford, Tyki, Rote, Joe Morris, and Joe Morrison. is left behind. .

However, in sports, there is no faster path to waste than to lead with your heart. We talked about truth before, right? One of the things about him is that running backs aren’t as valued as they used to be. And the fact that Xavier McKinney signed a contract with the Packers that dwarfed Barkley’s contract with the Eagles is indicative of the prevailing wisdom around the league — and that perhaps Barkley was the Giants that day. It also serves as a reminder that this was only the second biggest loss for the team.

In a perfect world? Barkley would have made every carry in pro football during his time with the Giants. But pro football doesn’t belong in that world. There is little about NFL business that is far from perfect or fair. Remember what I said earlier about multiple truths? And he has two.

After all, Barkley may end up running free behind a better line in Philadelphia over the next few years than he was in East Rutherford and ultimately winning that gold jacket.

And the Giants would be in an even better situation if they properly reallocated his funds.

It’s up to Joe Sean to do that.