Gio acknowledges everything Saquon Barkley did this season, from posting another 1,000-yard season and essentially making Gio eat all his words from preseason.
But for Gio, that doesn’t change the fact that the Giants would still be better off saying goodbye to their former No. 2 overall pick.
“He needed to perform and he did, and he stayed healthy,” Gio said. “All those things, I have to give him credit for. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m hating on the guy, I’m not, it’s just not how you build a team. They should not bring him back if they want to build the best version of the Giants.”
Why? Because Big Blue has other, much bigger, areas that need to be improved if this team is going to make the next step after getting back to the playoffs behind Barkley and company this season.
“There are two positions that are critical for the Giants to address, where they could better use their money. Draft a running back. Draft a guy in the third round, and you’ll be able to get enough production out of that production if you do two things you have to do, which is upgrade wide receiver in a big way…Tee Higgins, he is that guy who is probably going to be left out because Joe Burrow is gonna get all that money, and they can’t keep Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.
“Upgrading at the wide receiver position, and upgrading at the linebacker position. If this team really wants to make that next step, this is how they do it.”
Joe Schoen told reporters on Tuesday that Barkley and the Giants have gotten closer on contract talks, and he is “cautiously optimistic” that both Barkley and Daniel Jones will be back next season. But Gio says Schoen needs to spend that money elsewhere, and teams are capable of contending while spending next to nothing on running backs, as was proven this season.
“I’m sorry, running back has to go,” Gio said. “Replace him with someone in the draft, and let’s get wide receivers and linebackers to really compete in the NFC…the two teams that went to the Super Bowl had a combined $2 million that they were paying their running backs. That’s what I think Joe Schoen is looking at.”
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