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New York Giants Mailbag: All About Saquon

Let's check in with our readers to see what's on their minds.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag: All About Saquon
New York Giants Mailbag: All About Saquon

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New York Giants

If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please send it to nygiantsmaven@gmail.com. Note: Some letters may have been edited for clarity/length.

(From John R.) I read that the Giants took their offer to Saquon Barkley when they assigned the franchise tag to him. I thought the tag was used as a placeholder while the deal on the table was tweaked to each side's liking. So why did the Giants take it off the table? Seems like a dirtbag kind of move.

What's up, John? When the Giants pulled their reported $13 million APY off the table, free agency was about to get underway. So rather than tie up whatever the first-year cap number of that proposed contract and the $10.1 million franchise tag amount, which automatically comes out of the available cap space regardless of the deal is signed, the Giants pulled the contract offer off the table, so they could address other team needs.

Barkley's side was informed of this, and while I can understand the optics don't look good initially, I fully understand where general manager Joe Schoen was coming from.

Also of note, I've heard the $19.5 million in the first two years that was reported by at least one outlet was a bit on the low side. I've heard the figure was about $26 million in the first two years. There's so much back and forth here and so many pieces of information floating around out there. We'll find out soon enough. 

Hi Will. My summer has been going great; thanks for asking. I'm most curious to see how the receiver corps shapes up. Left guard is another position I'm curious to see play out--that one might be too close to call right now. Other things I want to see: third tight end, slot cornerback (which I think will be a committee), and overall, what differences in the team this summer versus last summer.

I would hope so.

I assume you mean Dalvin Cook. And no. If the Giants aren't opening their wallet for Saquon (reportedly), what makes you think they'd do so for Cook, who is said to want a decent payday as well? 

And Saquon isn't skipping the season. He's not going to leave $10.1 million guaranteed money on the table, and if he does, then I've been giving him way too much credit for having a decent business sense.

Micahel, first, yes, I do anticipate if both Bellinger and Robinson are healthy, they'll have some sort of role in the weekly game plan. But your statement that all of his draft picks outside the first-rounders were meaningless was a headscratcher. 

They got a starting center in the second round. They got some upgrades to the defensive secondary at cornerback and safety. They got themselves their potential RB2. It's not Schoen's fault that last year's rookie class dealt with injuries. So how can you say these guys are all meaningless? 

Giants Mom, the way it works is that so long as Barkley doesn't sign the tag, he's considered an inactive player not under contract and not employed by the Giants, even though they retain the rights to his services thanks to the franchise tag. Barkley would have until Week 10 to sign the franchise tag absence, a deal not getting done by July 17. 

If he doesn't, then that's it on negotiating a new deal for the rest of this year, his only other choices being to sit out all or part of the season (which I continue to doubt will happen given that it means he'll lose a guaranteed $545,000 per game off the tag if he does that), or skip most of training camp and report the last week (which I believe will be the case if no long-term deal is done).

Hope that clears up the confusion.

I don't think that has anything to do with things. That would be like saying an employee should demand a huge raise for their employer because they lost earnings in the stock market. No, I think the negotiations are about Saquon wanting a fair deal. Given his injury history and the overall market valuation of running backs, I suspect this is his first and only chance at getting a deal that can set him up for life.

Okay, so this isn't a question as much as it is an opinion, but I'll make an exception and address it. Negotiations are a two-way street. Why should Saquon's side do all the work here? I don't care if there is a CBA in place or not. Negotiations don't work the way you've suggested.

The Giants have to put forth what they feel is a fair offer. Saquon has rejected it. It will get done if the two sides are talking and doing a give-and-take. If one side asks for something outrageous, it won't. That's how it works, whether there is a CBA in place or not. Under your proposal, Saquon's side would only be wasting its time with higher, more outrageous offers, and time is running out.

P.S. Please clarify for me what rule Saquon isn't honoring.

(From Ken P. via Subtext Community): What led you to become a Giants fan, and do you remember the first game you watched? Do you also remember the opponent and if they won?

Ken, thanks for the question. I gave an interview with Adriana (NYGiantsFanGirl) about a month ago, and I spoke about my humble beginnings. You can watch that here if you'd like.

The first game I ever saw in person was against Tampa Bay--it was Phil Simms's first game at quarterback. I can't remember what I might have watched before then, however.

(From Rueben M. via Subtext Community) Who are your top 5 players to watch in training camp?

In no particular order: Jalin Hyatt's route running, John Michael Schmitz versus blitzes and stunts, Deonte Banks and how he tracks the ball while staying with the receiver, Evan Neal and his improvement, and Kayvon Thibodeaux and how he's better utilizing his strength to his advantage.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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