Leading up to training camp, and then Week 1 of the regular season for the NY Giants, fans are going to keep wondering what in the world is going to happen with running back Saquon Barkley. The fifth-year speedster is looking to have a big 2022, but rumors have people wondering if he’ll be taking the field with the G-Men or not.
This month alone, Barkley has been mentioned with possible moves to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. While on one side of things it would make sense for the Giants to get a handsome return if this does prove to be his last year in East Rutherford, there are several reasons why trading Barkley this summer would be a big mistake. Here’s three reasons why.
3. The NY Giants would be punting on 2022 if they trade Barkley
There’s no denying that general manager Joe Schoen would essentially pack things in for this upcoming season if he were to trade Barkley. With new offensive coordinator Mike Kafka now in town, everyone is assuming that Barkley is going to be heavily featured in the game plan, with the aerial attack being an area where he can really flourish.
Without Barkley on the field for the Giants, it completely changes things for the unit as a whole. Think about what it will do for Daniel Jones. The fourth-year QB, who didn’t have his fifth-year option picked up, will be relying on Barkley to ball out this fall and winter to help him out. Jones needs Barkley to have a big year if he wants to return to the Giants next season.
While Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton pitched Clyde-Edwards Helaire going to the Giants as part of the package for Barkley, CEH himself has dealt with plenty of injuries in his young career. Barkley is on a different level than him too. From our chair, there’s just no reason for Barkley to go anywhere. It would stun the fanbase, and not in a good way.