Giants general manager Joe Schoen joined Gio and Stugotz on Thursday morning, and assured Giants fans that all is well between the organization and Saquon Barkley, despite the contract drama that nearly led to the running back sitting out of training camp.
“Our relationship is good,” Schoen said. “The first offer we sent during the bye week, Saquon came up to my office and we had a really good conversation. I said ‘Listen, this is the first time you’re going through this. There is a business side to it…and none of it is personal.’ He understood that throughout the process. He’s been up to my office a couple times since he’s been back. He’s mature, he’s a good teammate, and he really cares about this organization.”
Asked by Gio why the running back position has become so devalued in the NFL, Schoen pointed to the career life of a running back, while still praising Barkley for his ability on the field, and how he handled the negotiations that led to an eventual one-year deal with less than $1 million more in earnings than the franchise tag that Schoen placed on Barkley earlier this year.
“Whether it’s longevity of the position, a team has to do what’s best for their organization,” Schoen said. “We have our process and data points and comps as we work through the value for every position. The agents have their reasoning for where they land at certain values for their players…at the end of the day, with the Saquon deal, it was professional the entire time. We just couldn’t come to an agreement on a value, and that’s OK. It’s OK that the has to do what’s best for him. We understand that.
“I have a lot of confidence in our process and how we come up with our value of players, and they have their process.”
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