The New York Giants find themselves comfortably in first place in the NFC East. With that, the expectation is that the Giants are going to capitalize on their playoff window by making a big splash trade by the Nov. 10 deadline. One position the Giants are expected to address is at running back, despite the big games from Cam Skattebo and Devin Singletary in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.
Lately, the Giants have been heavily linked to Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts. So much so, it does feel like a foregone conclusion that the Giants and Colts will ultimately agree to terms on a deal. However, there are some other names floating around. One name that was floating in the trade rumor circles was former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Fans were divided about the potential of a trade to bring Barkley back, considering he left in free agency to join the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Well, to the fans who did and didn't want Barkley back, you can officially cross him off of the list.
Saquon Barkley reveals Eagles told him that he won't be traded by deadline
Following the Eagles' 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders, Barkley was asked by reporters about his status with the team. Barkley said he was informed by the team that he won't be traded by the deadline, while praising the organization and hoping that he can be a solution to the team breaking out of the deep hole they dug themselves into this season.
"I have nothing but respect for this organization, top to bottom," said Barkley, h/t Zach Berman of The Athletic. "I really do think they do things the right way. I relish every time to go out there and play for this organization, put on the midnight green. So when that message was relayed to me, it definitely does mean a lot. But my whole mindset is we have a little issue going on right now and I feel like I'm the type of player and type of leader who can help us get out of it. I want to be one of the reasons why we fix it."
The Eagles' season appears to be as good as done, as they sit in last place with a 2-6 record. They are in rough shape with quarterback Jalen Hurts done for the season, while the offensive line was banged up on top of Lane Johnson's sudden retirement. Factoring all of this in, the belief was that the Eagles would begin selling players at the trade deadline in an effort to accumulate more draft picks.
Barkley, while not having his usual superhero seasons, is considered one of the Eagles' most valuable players, and would thus give them a decent return. But it appears that general manager Howie Roseman is not interested in that.
Saquon Barkley reunion with Giants at trade deadline didn't make much sense
Again, Barkley is a controversial figure in Giants history. Whiel there are fans who hold him going to the Eagles against him, while others still respect his greatness and feel that general manager Joe Schoen let him walk in free agency to set up his departure for Philadelphia. Even so, trading for Barkley didn't make much sense for the Giants.
The main reason for that is that there is a thing called the division rival tax. The worst case scenario for any team looking to bring in a player of their choosing at the trade deadline is if that player is on a rival team. That means the rival team could drastically increase the price tag to acquire said player.
The thing with Barkley is that he's still under contract through the 2028 season on a two-year, $41.2 million extension. So, a team would have to eat the majority of that deal, unless the Eagles chose to do so.
Even so, you don't think the Eagles would have asked for a significantly larger trade return from the Giants? The Giants already don't have many draft assets this year. Would they be willing to part with some of those picks in another deal, like for a Taylor? We'll have to see.
But when it comes to the Giants landing a running back at the trade deadline, we can officially rule out a Barkley reunion.
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