Dave Gettleman always loved “hog mollies,” the term given to big, burly offensive linemen who kick start your running game. He thought he was getting the running back version of that when he drafted Saquon Barkley No.
2 overall in 2018, eschewing a trade down or a signal-caller in a quarterback-heavy draft to select someone hoped to be a franchise bell-cow back.
And for that, Saquon is forever grateful.
“It's sad to see him retire. I'm always forever going to be grateful and thankful for Mr. Gettleman. He gave me the opportunity to live out my dream and to come and play for an amazing organization,” Barkley said Monday, shortly after news of Gettleman’s retirement became official. “Obviously, I wish we were able to have a lot more success, but the things that he taught me and thing that I learned from him I'm going to continue to carry them on in my career, and the messages that he kept giving me or the conversations that we have, I know I will take with me and help me kind of put my career in the right direction and finish it off the way I want it to be and how he perceived it to be, too.”
Barkley’s career has been oft-maligned, as he showed that stud potential as a rookie but regressed in year two. Then came the torn ACL in Week 2 of 2020, and this year, he often didn’t look like the same Saquon, even though he ended up second on the team in yards from scrimmage.
The Giants picked up his fifth-year option, so he will be back in 2022, but beyond that? A new general manager will be brought in (most likely, as it is rumored that top internal candidate Kevin Abrams isn’t getting the job), and given the Giants’ cap crunch and underperformance on the field, this could be it for Barkley in Big Blue no matter what.
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But that, he said, is a conversation for next January.
“I can't control that. That's above my pay grade,” Barkley said. “I don't make those decisions, so whoever we bring in, my mindset is that I'm here, I'm a leader for this team and I'm going to get better this offseason and try to improve in all areas of my game until I can be the player that I know I am and help this team get back to the right direction.”
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