EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Saquon Barkley period in New York by no means had an opportunity.
It was doomed from the second former New York Giants normal supervisor Dave Gettleman drafted the working again out of Penn State with the No. 2 choose within the 2018 NFL draft.
“He was touched by the hand of God, frankly,” Gettleman mentioned instantly after the choose was made.
Gettleman then described him as a generational expertise. Barkley himself backed up these expectations by instantly declaring himself “greater than a working again.”
However Barkley was thrust into a nasty scenario whereas burdened with expectations that had been virtually not possible to fulfill. He needed to be an all-time nice to justify being chosen so excessive. He joined a staff whose quarterback, Eli Manning, performed two extra forgettable seasons and was set to play behind a nasty offensive line.
The Giants by no means actually fastened their quarterback or offensive line conditions throughout Barkley’s six seasons. The staff went a mixed 34-64-1. Their offense was within the backside half of the league each season that Barkley was in New York. The excessive level got here throughout his rookie season, when he topped 2,000 whole yards and so they completed seventeenth in whole offense.
Accidents slowed him down essentially the most. A excessive ankle sprain postponed his sophomore season for 3 video games. A torn ACL wasted the 2020 season. It actually took till 2022, when he had maybe his finest — and solely playoff — season, for him to appear to be his outdated self.
Barkley, 27, ends his Giants profession because the franchise’s fourth all-time main rusher with 5,211 yards. However he walks away with just one playoff win.
Barkley talked about eager to be a “Large for all times” and having a post-playing profession like Eli Manning and Michael Strahan in New York. However the outcomes on the sector — for the staff and him personally — had been by no means going to permit him to get into that class.
There isn’t any doubt that Barkley continues to be a very good participant. He is a two-time Professional Bowl working again. However he is not what the Giants had been anticipating.
Irrespective of how a lot Gettleman thought positional worth was bogus, the truth that Barkley was drafted that top as a working again was at all times going to work towards him. It would not matter if No. 3 choose Sam Darnold is now a backup or that quarterback Josh Rosen was chosen within the high 10 and is now out of the league. Quarterback Josh Allen was chosen at No. 7 by the Buffalo Payments and Lamar Jackson thirty second by the Baltimore Ravens. They had been among the many choices for the Giants in that draft.
Based mostly on his draft scenario, Barkley wanted to be the one to show the Giants group round, particularly given Daniel Jones hasn’t confirmed to be the franchise quarterback the staff had anticipated.
After six seasons, it was time for Barkley to go.
Barkley now will get to play for a Philadelphia Eagles staff that not solely has actual playoff aspirations, however real looking Tremendous Bowl probabilities. He grew up within the Lehigh Valley, about an hour from Philadelphia, and his household nonetheless lives there.
A 3-year deal for $37.7 million with $26 million totally assured is greater than the Giants ever provided Barkley final season earlier than he acquired injured once more — a excessive ankle sprain value him three video games — and ran for fewer than 1,000 yards.
The Giants by no means actually had any intention of signing Barkley this offseason. They by no means made him a suggestion, in accordance with a supply near the scenario.
Extra fiscally accountable was signing a midlevel working again and supplementing that place within the draft. New York is signing former Houston Texans working again Devin Singletary for 3 years and $16.5 million, in accordance with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter. The cash saved on Barkley and the working again place can now assist normal supervisor Joe Schoen fill out the roster.
If solely Barkley had been introduced right into a profitable scenario underneath real looking expectations.