5 difficult decisions facing the NY Giants and Joe Schoen this offseason
2. Giving Saquon Barkley a multi-year extension
This was a decision the Giants were tasked with last offseason as well. They opted to place Saquon Barkley on the non-exclusive franchise tag and now the team is right back to square one. With Barkley coming off a down season and the team having several holes in more important positions, Schoen has to question how much he trusts giving a soon to be 27-year-old running back a big-time contract.
The Giants need two new guards, potentially a right tackle, some new defensive linemen, and maybe even some corners as well. While Barkley is an incredible player, if Schoen opts to pay him big-time money with the limited cap space the team has, the rest of the team around him won't get any better, which is a problem.
We've seen how Barkley performs under bad circumstances and it gets tough to watch, so if Schoen really wants to waste both Barkley's career, and the Giants' money, then the team likely isn't going to make a move. I don't mean to come off so cruel, but unfortunately, with the state of the Giants, this is just how it is. Barkley is an incredible talent, one that has been wasted by New York thus far. We'd love to see him have success with Big Blue, but at this rate, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen.