Getty New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll was very clear on how the organization felt about a Saquon Barkley trade.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll shut down the Saquon Barkley trade rumors once and for all on October 25 — and he did it by revealing his exact message to the star running back.
“That’s not happening,” Daboll told Barkley last week at practice — according to the Giants HC himself.
Daboll said someone told him last week there were some trade rumors “out there” about Saquon, so “I walked up to him at walk-through and said, ‘That’s not happening.'”
He even noted that he walked right up to Barkley after hearing these rumors just to clarify the organization’s stance. Daboll relayed this conversation during his Week 8 Wednesday press conference (per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan).
New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard also shared that “[Daboll was] asked if Saquon will definitely be a Giant after the deadline,” and his answer was “yes.”
Giants Reporter Notes Saquon Barkley’s Safety May Not Extend to Other NYG Trade Candidates
After Duggan’s post, New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy followed up by saying: “Rare level of transparency from Daboll. The most interesting thing here is did he do that with Adoree’ [Jackson] or Leonard Williams?”
Now, these two situations are a bit different.
Barkley has been the face of the franchise since 2018. He’s also only 26 years old, and while that is older in RB years, it’s still possible the star playmaker has another three-to-four seasons left in his prime.
That’s not to say Jackson and Williams don’t, but as expensive veteran pieces hitting the open market in 2024, it does make more sense to trade them while you can.
You see, Barkley is not expected to leave in free agency. The Giants can still franchise tag him at a reasonable cap number, and they can also try again on an extension using Jonathan Taylor’s new contract as a guideline.
Jackson has already been replaced in the draft, on the other hand, and Williams’ price tag has exceeded his production (2.5 sacks and five TFLs in 2022).
The latter only has 1.5 sacks and one tackle for a loss this year, and the Giants can chip away at his $32.26 million cap hit by trading him. It’s more likely they eat a large portion of the money for a better return, however.
As for Jackson, it makes more sense to develop the youth at cornerback if Big Blue is out of playoff contention. That’s not the case just yet, but one more loss in Week 8 could be the determining factor.
2023 first rounder Deonte Banks is turning into a promising NFL starter, and Tre Hawkins III has held his own in recent weeks. The Giants have a young group behind the two rookies.
Battle of New York Could Determine Giants’ Next Moves
The NYG front office has been in somewhat of a holding pattern. At 1-5, the G-Men were victorious over the Washington Commanders.
That makes this Week 8 battle of New York versus the Jets even more pivotal.
A loss puts the Giants at 2-6. That may not change things for Daboll and the locker room, but it should impact the mentality of general manager Joe Schoen.
In a tough NFC East division, 2-6 could mean a sell-off of non-core players — meaning Barkley still stays put. 3-5 could spark hope after a wildcard run a year ago.
And if Schoen and Daboll do decide to hold off on throwing in the towel, they’ll need veterans like Jackson and Williams. As you can see, there’s a lot riding on Sunday’s NYC showdown between Big Blue and Gang Green.