Saquon Barkley still doesn’t have the new long-term contract he wants, nor does he sound eager to play on the franchise tag for the New York Giants in 2023. It’s a sticky problem, but one general manager Joe Schoen could solve with a blockbuster trade for a record-setting wide receiver.
Mike Evans is the only wideout in NFL history to have posted nine-straight 1,000-yard seasons, but the veteran is also entering the final year of his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Evans would make a great trade chip to tempt the Giants into parting ways with Barkley, according to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton.
The deal would involve the Giants sending Barkley and a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to Tampa Bay. While that looks lopsided in favor of the Bucs, Moton believes acquiring Evans would mean the Giants “finally land a No. 1 wide receiver who can elevate quarterback Daniel Jones. Evans and tight end Darren Waller can turn Big Blue’s aerial attack into a top-10 scoring unit, which would close the gap between the Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.”
Moton also believes “the Giants can deal him (Barkley) in a sign-and-trade scenario.” That would be necessary since Barkley still hasn’t put pen to paper to accept the tag.
While snagging a legitimate go-to receiver should be tempting for the owners of one of the more pedestrian passing games in the league, the Giants should think twice about what life without Barkley would look like.
4-Time Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver Would Transform Giants
Life with Evans would be great for quarterback Daniel Jones, since the veteran pass-catcher has made it easy on every signal-caller he’s played alongside. Evans posted his first 1,000-yard campaign back in 2014, when Josh McCown and Mike Glennon were throwing the passes.
Since then, Evans has been the main man for Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Brady. Jones would certainly make the strides the Giants are banking on if he had Evans to aim for this season.
Schoen handed Jones a four-year, $160-million contract, handsome reward despite the QB leading a passing game that produced a league-low 28 completions of 20-plus yards. Improving big-play potential through the air has been a focus of the Giants’ offseason, leading to the arrivals of free-agent Parris Campbell, rookie Jalin Hyatt and Pro-Bowl tight end Darren Waller, who was acquired via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The new faces will help Jones, but none will have the same impact Evans would in this offense. At 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, the 30-year-old compares favorably to 6-foot-6, 255-pound Waller, but Evan is no mere intermediate target.
Instead, he’s a legitimate deep threat who’s averaged 15.3 yards per catch for his career. Evans would add the vertical element the Giants need, evidenced by this 63-yard touchdown grab against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.
BRADY GOES DEEP TO EVANS. 63-YARD TD.
📺: #CARvsTB on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/iBHCs5kpjA
Evan has always had the knack for taking the top off of defenses, a quality the Giants have lacked too often in recent seasons. Jones is counting on Hyatt to be the burner who scares opposing cornerbacks, but the first-year flanker still has a lot to learn, unlike Evans, who is a proven commodity.
While he’s still viable as a deep playmaker, Evans also remains a size mismatch in the red zone. Like when he snatched this five-yard scoring strike over All-Pro Dallas Cowboys’ cornerback Trevon Diggs in Week 1.
MIKE EVANS IS UNGUARDABLE 😱 @MikeEvans13_
📺: #TBvsDAL on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/xlZm1YHXQD
Having two big targets like Evans and Waller to aim for, would make the Giants automatic from inside the 20.
There are lots of reasons why the Giants should want Evans, and dealing Barkley would free up the cap space to sign the decorated receiver. Yet, swapping a bluechip back like Barkley for any receiver wouldn’t be addition by subtraction.
Giants Still Need Saquon Barkley
Barkley’s return to form in 2022 powered Big Blue’s surprising renaissance behind an offense almost completely reliant on his dual-threat skills. Rather than buckle under the weight of responsibility, Barkley answered the call by staying healthy enough to rush for a career-high 1,312 yards and tie for the team lead with 57 receptions.
Those numbers are why Barkley wants to get paid on a par with the top running backs in the league. That desire is also why the 26-year-old hasn’t denied the possibility of a holdout, although Dan Duggan of The Athletic believes “sitting out and forfeiting $10.1 million would be counterproductive” to Barkley’s ambition to eventually earn a more lengthy and lucrative deal.
An impasse seems inevitable, but the Giants have re-presented a previous offer made to Barkley. While it appears unlikely more of the same again will prove the catalyst for a compromise, Schoen should remain focused on finding a way to sign Barkley for the long haul.
He’s a truly special player with his prime years still ahead of him, and those years would be more valuable to the Giants than trading for Evans.
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Giants Trade Proposal Could Swap Saquon Barkley for Record-Setting WR