Giants are in salary cap hell, but trading Saquon Barkley is a bad idea

INDIANAPOLIS – The idea of trading Saquon Barkley was unthinkable the past four years. There was no way Dave Gettleman would even consider dealing his “gold jacket guy” so someone else could reap the benefits of a player who was “touched by the hand of God.”

But Gettleman’s treasure is now part of new Giants GM Joe Schoen’s burden, as he begins trying to dig the franchise out of salary cap hell. He knows he has a bunch of “tough decisions” to make as he tries to shed $40 million off the Giants’ books, and finding someone to take Barkley’s $7.2 million could be tempting.

So if someone calls with an offer? Where Gettleman would’ve slammed the phone down, Schoen will listen.

“I’m open to everything,” Schoen insisted on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine.

But in this case, he shouldn’t be. Barring a truly overwhelming offer, trading Barkley is a bad idea.

It’s not that Barkley is a key piece to the Giants’ long-term puzzle. In fact, he probably doesn’t have much of a long-term future with them anymore. That’s why it’s easy to suggest the Giants should deal him as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract so they get something in return before they’re left empty-handed when he leaves as a free agent next March.

But the problem with that is more about the Giants’ problem with their quarterback. This is a critical year for Daniel Jones. They need to figure out once and for all whether he’s their quarterback of the future. The new front office and coaching staff need to see him at his best, to find out if he’s what the old front office and coaching staff once thought he could be.

And they can’t do that if they strip all the talent around him away.

“Our job is to put a system in place for him, let him play free, and keep as many good guys around him as we can that he trusts and feels comfortable throwing the ball to,” new Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “It’s not just DJ. The 10 other guys around him have to be doing their job at a high level. That’s what we’re going to try to provide for him.”

The Giants offense, of course, has been a train wreck the past two years and the talent around Jones is questionable. And with their limited offseason assets, the Giants already have plenty of holes to fill. They likely need four new starters along the offensive line. Tight end Evan Engram is likely to leave as a free agent, tight end Kyle Rudolph is a likely cap cut, and receiver Sterling Shepard could be a cap casualty, too.

Barkley may have been a shell of himself last season, when he rushed for just 593 yards in 13 games and was generally outplayed by his backup, Deonte Booker. But he’s still 25, a former Rookie of the Year, and a supremely talented runner and receiver who will now be another year removed from his ACL surgery. Just his presence, assuming he’s healthy, could be a boon to the Giants’ offense. And if he comes anywhere close to finding his rookie form, he instantly becomes one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league.

Yes, those are a lot of Ifs, but given the upside, and how much of a help he could be to the Giants’ embattled quarterback, what’s the point of shipping him elsewhere for, say, a mid-round draft pick? Because at this point, that’s where his value is. To the rest of the league, he’s an oft-injured player who hasn’t been the same since 2018 and is guaranteed $7.2 million and unsigned beyond the end of the year.

He’s not going to bring a first-round pick or an All-Pro player in return. He is, like it or not, expensive and damaged goods. But for the Giants, the risk to keeping him around could lead to a huge payoff. For this one crucial year, the upside is too high to ignore.

Still, the Giants will listen, as they should. And even though a deal does seem highly unlikely, Schoen’s answer wasn’t just a way of deflecting a question, either. When he was asked if he’d be interested in trading rookie receiver Kadarius Toney, he said “I don’t think Kadarius is a tradeable piece.”

When asked specifically about Barkley, he was hardly as adamant about keeping him around.

“We’re still working through that, but I’m open to everything,” he said. “I’m not going to say we’re open for business on the entire roster but if anybody’s going to call and they’re interested in any of our players, I’ll certainly listen. Again, we’re in a situation where unfortunately we have to get under the salary cap and we’re not in very good salary cap health. I’m not going to say yes to every deal, but I’m definitely going to listen.”

Pressed more on Barkley’s future, Schoen was just as non-committal.

“That’s what you have to evaluate,” he said. “And I think there’s some unknown. I think everybody can say that when the kid’s healthy, he’s one of the best backs in the league. And I think Brian and his staff will have a plan for him, and feature him. Hopefully he’s healthy. It’s a physical game, so it’s hard to guarantee that.”

It is, and that’s the risk. It’s also why the returns in a trade will likely be diminished – at least until the season starts and some contenders suffer injuries and maybe get a little desperate as the trading deadline nears. Until then, no one is going to give them equal or appropriate value for what Barkley could be.

So they should resist any temptation of dealing Barkley just to deal him. There are many other, less painful ways to clear $7 million-plus in salary cap space. They can’t replace the kind of production and presence Barkley can give them if they decide to trade him, nor can they afford -- or find – a player who could adequately replace him.

That’s why they should take the gamble that Barkley will be close to the player he once was and will give the Giants one last terrific season. Because if he does, he’ll be a boost to their offense and a huge value for their quarterback. And he’ll be helping the Giants with their biggest issue – letting them see what Jones really is, once and for all.