Report: Latest details emerge on possible Saquon Barkley trade

A new regime is at the Meadowlands, with former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll taking over as the head coach of the New York Giants. With that, comes questions about players the last coaching staff and front office brought to the team, specifically running back Saquon Barkley.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network gave the latest on where the Giants and Barkley stand, saying it’s unlikely the franchise trades their top running back. He cites the contract as one of the main reasons but also points out that new general manager Joe Schoen is not going to be afraid to make a trade if the right deal comes along.

“As far as Saquon Barkley, this is the right thing for Joe Schoen,” Rapoport said. “He is the new general manager, he comes from a place in Buffalo where they are always open to a deal. They’ve done some big trades before. Obviously, Stefon Diggs is probably the biggest in most recent memory. There have certainly been some others. Schoen has always been willing to consider a trade. You mentioned them possibly trading Saquan Barkley and them possibly being open to it. To me, it doesn’t seem realistic.

“He did not have a great year last year, he’s banged up, he’s got a fully guaranteed salary that somebody would have to pick up. If you were the Giants, if you were going to pay even a little bit of the salary, you might as well see if that player could be good for you because there is a reason the organization drafted him. I don’t see Saquon Barkley being traded. To me, the most likely scenario is he being with the Giants, playing it out, and having a decision at the end of next season.”

Barkley only played in 13 games last season for the Giants, rushing for 593 yards and two touchdowns. The previous season, the former No. 2 overall draft pick only appeared in the first two contests before tearing his ACL and having to recover from the knee injury.

As for his contract, Barkley is currently in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to make just over $7 million this season. According to Sportac, if New York were to cut or trade Barkley, he would have a dead cap number of $7.2 million. As Rapoport said in his report — if you’re going to be paying him anyway, may as well see if he fits it Daboll’s offense going forward.