It seemed as though the New York Giants’ decision to allow former franchise player Saquon Barkley to go free agency was a turning point for the current front office leadership.
Given that Dave Gettleman built a mountain of mediocrity on his mid-decision-making, the Giants are no strangers to making unconventional decisions in free agency, the draft, and trades. However, with the former general manager gone and Joe Schoen in charge of turning the team around, letting Barkley go—to Philadelphia no less—may be the first sentence in his eventual firing, should things go south quickly.
However, Devin Singletary, who will take Barkley’s place, will also under pressure to perform well due of the player’s departure. Every week, his stats will be compared to those of the Eagles’ primary rusher.
Singletary, a 5-foot-8, 194-pound running back, has spent his first six seasons in the NFL traveling somewhat extensively. After being selected in the third round out of FAU, he originally signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Buffalo Bills. Hines had a breakout season in 2023, running the ball 216 times for 898 yards and four touchdowns, although only starting 10 of the 17 games he played in. Prior to that, he was locked at the number two place behind Dameon Pierce in the RB2 class.
After having the best season of his career, Singletary made a big splash by agreeing to a three-year contract worth $16.5 million, which is around $3.75 million less than Barkley will receive from Philadelphia. It’s safe to assume that Singletary could match Barkley’s output by 75 percent for half of his deal cost, but losing their greatest player due to age—especially when the person taking his place was born in the same year—is never a positive indication for a team.
Will Singletary be successful? Time will tell, but it’s safe to assume that he will have early pressure to perform because every action he takes will be evaluated in relation to the guy he is replacing.
Fans throughout the league have gotten a first-hand look at how a team conducts its offseason, including making the difficult decisions that must be made in free agency, thanks to Hard Knocks’ latest offseason documentary, Hard Knocks Offseason, which focused on the Giants.
One such conversation that Schoen had to have was with Ed Berry, the new RB1 for the Eagles. Schoen discovered that Barkley’s asking price might be too high for him, even if he requested for a chance to match it, as they were talking about how the market was developing for the man who was formerly thought of as the face of the Giants.
“Hello? Ed Berry, how are you, friend? Okay, so let me put this together: what would we need to do to get Saquon? Again, this was sort of the whole idea: you would go out and discover what it is, and I would simply say, “Yes, we can,” or “Yeah, we’re not going to be able to do that.” Schoen gave an explanation via NFL.com. You’ve spoken to him, so there’s no use in going back and forth if he wants to remain here. You say, “Hey, this is what he wants to be here,” and as I’m going through this, we’ll say, “Yes, we’ll do it,” or, “No, we won’t.” So you said $12.5 [million]? during a three-year period? What, then, would you say was the guarantee? 25 [million] with assurance. That means he would be a Giant if I offered him a three-year contract today at $12.5 [million] APY and $25 [guaranteed]? 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? Okay, all right, well, I’ll give you a call back. Today, we’re going to take him down, fly you up, and hold a press conference. Okay, thanks for that, friend.
Schoen finally had to give Berry a callback to inform him that his club was out on the former PSU rusher after weighing the possibilities, consulting the books, and speaking with team owner John Mora.
Schoen remarked, “Good day for you, good day to be Ed Berry.” “What will he receive? Beyond what you mentioned? 12.5 APY, 25 assured, above that amount? Alright, let’s not go there. We’ve left. In which division is it? All I’m doing is trying to psychologically be ready for what’s about to happen.
While it’s true that teams must make these choices every offseason and that fans will evaluate them both now and in the future, the Giants made their decision much more significant—not to mention embarrassing, should Barkley blow it in South Philadelphia—because they publicly shared their dirty laundry in front of the camera this time. In light of the players surrounding him, that seems like a fairly safe wager.