Giants general manager addresses possibility of Saquon Barkley trade

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen isn’t ruling out the possibility of a Saquon Barkley trade. With the star running back having missed several games over the past two seasons because of injury, the new GM is willing to listen to offers.

“We’re still working through that, but I’m open to everything,” Schoen said, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “Like whether it’s trading player for player; I’ll listen to anybody. If it’s trading a couple players — I’m not going to say the entire roster, [that] we’re open for business on the entire roster. But if anyone is going to call and they’re interested in any of our players. I’m certainly going to listen.”

Schoen was hired this offseason after spending the past five years as the assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills. He brought Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll along with him to be the team’s next head coach.

The young GM inherits a difficult salary cap situation, which could be a key factor in a potential trade of Saquon Barkley. The Giants are currently estimated at more than $11 million over the cap, according to ESPN’s roster management system. They will have to shed excess weight by cutting or trading some quality players.

Barkley, currently in the final year of his rookie contract, could be one of those pieces. The running back is set to enter is fifth NFL season, with a guaranteed salary of $7.2 million in 2022.

“We’re in a situation where unfortunately we have to get under the salary cap,” Schoen said. “We’re not in very good salary-cap health. Again, I’m not going to say yes to every deal, but I’m definitely going to listen and be open to the situations that are best for the New York Giants.”

During his rookie season in 2018, Barkley looked like the NFL’s next star running back. He finished with a league-leading 2,028 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns on his way to claiming the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The Penn State product followed that up with another 1,000-yard season in 2019, strengthening the belief in his inevitable stardom.

However, Barkley suffered an ACL tear in the second game of 2020 that caused him to miss the remainder of that season. He returned to play in 13 of 17 regular season games in 2021, rushing for 593 yards and two touchdowns. His recent struggles to stay on the field and decline in production are two other big reasons for Schoen to consider a trade.

But at least one NFL insider isn’t sure that trading Barkley would even be possible for the Giants.

“You mentioned them possibly trading Saquan Barkley and them possibly being open to it,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Tuesday. “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.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.