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Saquon Barkley didn’t get a long-term contract because the New York Giants paid their “very average” starting quarterback instead. That’s according to Colin Cowherd, host of FS1’s “The Herd,” who blamed the lucrative investment the Giants made in Daniel Jones earlier this offseason for their failure to come to an agreement with Barkley, their two-time Pro Bowl running back.
“This is what happens when you have a very average quarterback that you’ve committed nearly $40 million a year to,” Cowherd said on the July 17 episode of his show.
Cowherd made his comment before the 4 p.m. Eastern time deadline for each team to reach a long-term deal with its tagged player, who in the Giants’ case was Barkley. The Giants couldn’t get it done, leaving Barkley to react to the prospect of playing on the franchise tag this season.
It’s created a problem that Cowherd said the Giants would struggle to avoid because of Jones’ reliance on Barkley.
Giants ‘Trapped’ by Overpaying for Daniel Jones
Cowherd leaned on a few statistics to explain the lopsided relationship between Barkley’s presence and Jones’ performances: “So, Daniel Jones’ worst year, lowest passer rating, was in 2020. That was the year Saquon Barkley played, like, a game and was hurt.”
He also showed a graph revealing how if Jones “has less than 100 yards rushing behind him, he’s bad. 86 passer rating [and a record of] 5-7-1. He is totally dependant on a run game, and Saquon Barkley’s obviously great.”
NFL on CBS tweeted stats that support Cowherd’s statement regarding Jones’ success with and without Barkley in the lineup. Among the biggest disparities is Jones’ touchdown-to-interception ratio: 44-to-17 with Barkley, 16-to-17 without him.
Those are worrisome numbers given that the Giants have bet big on Jones’ continuing the progress he showed last season. In fact, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll need No. 8 to accelerate his progress if he’s going to justify the four-year, $160-million contract Big Blue handed its QB1 ahead of paying Barkley.
The numbers didn’t indicate that Giants won on the strength of his arm last season. They won when Barkley dominated on the ground.
The Giants were 4-0 when Barkley exceeded 100 rushing yards in regular-season games. That record improved to 8-0 when accounting for every contest in which Barkley ran for at least 70 yards.
Barkley’s value to Jones and the rest of the offense is clear, so it’s surprising the Giants weren’t inclined to strike a deal. Especially since the gap between the player and front office was modest.
Less than $1 million to $2 million ultimately separated both sides at the negotiating table, according to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post: “The Giants’ final three-year offer was in the ballpark of $11 million to $11.5 million per year with guarantees between $22 million and $23 million, multiple sources told the Post. Those numbers were all within $1 million to $2 million on both ends of Barkley’s reduced asking price.”
Barkley’s and the Giants’ standing firm over their small differences has put the onus on Jones to answer his many detractors.
Daniel Jones Can Prove Critics Wrong
Cowherd isn’t the only one to deride Jones’ importance to the Giants. Appearing on “Speak,” on Fox Sports 1, Joy Taylor declared “nobody takes Daniel Jones serious without Saquon.”
It’s become too easy to write off Jones, but he proved his worth down the stretch last season, making key throws to help beat NFC East rivals the Washington Commanders on the road in Week 15, like this clutch completion to Richie James in traffic to move the sticks on 4th-and-9, highlighted by Justin Penik of Talkin’ Giants.
Two weeks later, Jones threw a pair of touchdown passes against the Indianapolis Colts to seal a playoff berth. Once in the postseason, the Giants’ signal-caller topped 300 yards and added another two scores through the air on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.
In the process, Jones joined select company among QBs who gashed playoff defenses as both a passer and a runner, per Pro Football Reference.
Jones’ rushing threat is often overlooked, but he accounted for 708 yards, seven touchdowns and 5.9 yards per rush last season. He poses a dual threat no team can ignore.
The Giants invested heavily to improve the aerial component of that threat. In addition to paying Jones ahead of Barkley, Schoen also added new targets, including Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, wide receiver Parris Campbell and rookie burner Jalin Hyatt.
Each of those moves represented the Giants’ commitment to the prevailing logic in today’s NFL. Logic that says a winning, productive quarterback trumps every other player, even a playmaker as gifted as Barkley.
It’s considered easier to find a serviceable running back over a competent QB. That’s a theory Schoen and the Giants will test, either with Barkley or Jones, a year from now.
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