Carl Banks Reacts to Giants Suffering ‘Disease of Me’

Saquon Barkley and Dexter Lawrence II are still waiting on new contracts, but Carl Banks is having none of the idea two of the New York Giants’ best players are suffering from the “disease of me.”

Banks fired back at rumors of discontent in the Giants’ locker room, rumors started by former Cleveland Browns’ general manager Michael Lombardi and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks. Speaking on an edition of Bleav In Giants, Banks, who won two Super Bowls as a star outside linebacker with Big Blue, declared to Bob Papa, “I haven’t seen either one of those guys (Lombardi and Brooks) in the Giants building.”

Banks told the detractors “don’t paint this as a dysfunctional locker room. Don’t sit and say that Dexter Lawrence feels unappreciated or that Saquon Barkley feels unappreciated. No, they’re happy for their teammate because he got his money, they’re time is now. This is negotiations. Mike Knows what that is. Unless he’s talked to those players or those players’ agents, then you can’t spin like these guys are disgruntled and they’re upset because they’re not getting their money.”

Banks drew a clear distinction between Barkley and Lawrence naturally wanting to get paid while still being happy for quarterback Daniel Jones. The latter got a four-year contract worth $160 million earlier this offseason, but as Banks put it, that payday has little to no relation to any other deals, “I haven’t heard Joe Schoen, nor have I heard Mr. Mara or Mr. Tisch say ‘we’re all tapped out, we gave Daniel Jones everything we had.'”

Banks’ confidence there’s still unity among the Giants’ core players is an encouraging sign amid what is becoming a brewing standoff between Barkley and the front office.

---

Lack of Movement Will Fuel Rumors of Discontent

Barkley wants his money and isn’t prepared to sign the franchise tag, nor attend the official start of the team’s offseason program, creating a dilemma for Joe Schoen. The general manager knows he also needs to offer fresh terms to All-Pro nose tackle Lawrence and continue putting new weapons around Jones to protect the Giants’ sizeable investment in football’s most important position.

That gap between what the Giants have done for Jones, compared with what they’re yet to offer Barkley or Lawrence is fuelling rumors of discontent. Lombardi was bullish in his statements during an edition of The GM Shuffle, “Saquon feels under appreciation. Daniel doesn’t, but Saquon does. Dexter does.”

Banks expects Lombardi to know the difference between players voicing a desire to have their worth recognized or being resentful about a teammate getting paid before them. The man drafted in the first round by the Giants in 1984 thinks Lombardi should know the difference since he signed Banks and another former Giant, Pepper Johnson, for the Browns in 1994.

Together, Banks and Pepper Johnson cured the “disease of me” running rife in the Browns’ locker room at the time. They led a defense directed by Nick Saban and Bill Belichick that powered Cleveland to the postseason and a playoff win over a New England Patriots team coached by Banks’, Johnson’s and Belichick’s old boss Bill Parcells.

Lombardi doesn’t see things the same way as Banks. Nor does Brooks, who endorsed Lombardi’s words with his own condemnation of how the Giants have prioritized their contract issues this offseason: “This happens when you ‘overpay’ the QB1. The locker room knows if the QB is special or not, and when the team pays franchise $ for a ‘manager+,’ it is hard for the stars to settle for lesser pay.”

Brooks warned any lingering feelings of envy “could wreck” the Giants this season. That may be an extreme view, but the longer Barkley and Lawrence are kept waiting, the more speculation will build about divisions within the camp.

The speculation won’t go away any time soon. Not when resolving either contract is going to prove equally tricky for Schoen.

---

Giants in a Bind Over Saquon Barkley, Dexter Lawrence Deals

Paying Barkley won’t be easy when he’s said to want money on par with what the San Francisco 49ers give to Christian McCaffrey, per SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes. McCaffrey earns $16 million annually.

Schoen was prepared to pay Barkley the same as Nick Chubb, a four-time Pro-Bowler with the Browns, but those terms couldn’t get a deal done with No. 26. Running backs aren’t valued the same as quarterbacks, so Barkley will have to lower his expectations, despite his obvious importance as the workhorse of the Giants’ offense.

Lawrence, who will also skip voluntary workouts, doesn’t need to make any such concessions. Not when the defensive tackle market has exploded thanks to lucrative deals handed to Washington Commanders’ linchpin Daron Payne and Jeffery Simmons of the Tennessee Titans, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Making room for Lawrence’s next deal will likely require his fellow defensive tackle Leonard Williams to take a pay cut. Then Schoen will be left negotiating with a player coming off a banner season and seeing other players at his position all earning $20 million-plus per year.

There’s a lot left for the Giants to resolve before they can sign up Barkley and Lawrence for the long haul. If the wait does foster some resentment it will likely only show itself if Jones falters this year.

0 Comments