We can't just have one relaxing day for the NY Giants this offseason? Apparently not, as more head-turning comments have been made, this time from a guy you wouldn't have expected it to come from: pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
While speaking on the 7pm in Brooklyn Podcast with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero, Thibodeaux was asked about what's going on with star running back Saquon Barkley. Thibodeaux, while saying he still believes in Daniel Jones and is in his corner, said that he felt the Giants front office should have prioritized things last offseason with Saquon first over Danny Dimes. Oh my:
Kayvon saying Saquon Barkley should’ve been paid before Daniel Jones pic.twitter.com/s0TNw1wjsf
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) January 25, 2024
Kayvon Thibodeaux said the Giants should have paid Saquon Barkley before Daniel Jones
"You paid Daniel Jones $40 million (a year) and it was a great - I believe in Daniel Jones. Let me tell you what I'm mad at and this is the only thing I'll say about that. What I'm mad about is that Saquon - because if you look at the game, the tape, Saquon was responsible for at least 30 percent of our explosive plays - talking about the year we won the playoff game. For me and for the integrity of working together and hard work, and we all believe the same things, I feel like Saquon should have gotten paid first. That's what I feel. I don't know the back end, maybe it's a franchise (tag), maybe it's an extension, maybe it's blah blah blah. That's none of my business. I can only focus on me.""Kayvon Thibodeaux
That's a lot to chew on, but Thibodeaux clearly didn't like that the extension was done with Jones first and then the Giants ended up placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley shortly after. The thing here, though, is that Schoen put multiple offers on the table for Barkley, but the two sides couldn't meet in the middle.
This wasn't a case where Schoen was just completely ignoring Barkley and spending all of his time at the negotiating table with Danny Dimes. He put in a lot of effort to get things finalized with Barkley as well, he just couldn't make the speedster happy.
The Jones extension is now looking like one of the worst Giants deals in recent memory. In the first year of his $160 million contract, Jones struggled mightily, throwing for only two touchdowns and six interceptions. He missed several contests due to a neck injury against Miami and then he tore his ACL in his first game back against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Barkley missed three games with a high-ankle sprain, but that didn't stop him from rushing for 962 yards and six touchdowns. This offseason, Schoen will hope that the second time's the charm in agreeing on something with the two-time Pro Bowler. However, if you ask Thibodeaux, this should have been taken care of a while back.