Joe Schoen inherited an impossible situation when he took over the New York Giants front office as the general manager this offseason. Dave Gettleman had run the team into the ground, as they had the worst record in the league with him running the show. That has led to quite a few players departing New York and could lead to a trade that sends Saquon Barkley out of town, possibly to the Los Angeles Rams.
Arguably the most egregious error that Gettleman made was managing the salary cap.
Schoen has had to move on from some good players this offseason because of the salary cap situation in New York. Despite having a quarterback on a rookie deal, the Giants are capped out. It has led to them releasing James Bradberry because everyone around the league knew that they had to move on from him to save enough cap space to sign their rookie draft class.
Logan Ryan was another cap casualty this offseason despite being a respected veteran in the locker room. Veterans Blake Martinez and Sterling Shepard accepted huge pay cuts to remain on the team earlier in the offseason.
Such is the life of a general manager taking over a new team that needs an overhaul. Another player whose future is clouded is running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley was Gettleman’s first draft pick, No. 2 overall in 2018 and took the football world by storm at the start of his career.
He won the Rookie of the Year award and was looking like one of the best playmakers in the league. However, injuries have derailed his career since, putting the Giants in a tough spot. His fifth-year option is worth $7.2 million, which is a lot of money given the current state of the roster.
While Schoen isn’t actively looking to trade Barkley, it isn’t something he would be opposed to. It would help the team save more money and it is hard to imagine the Giants re-signing him as a free agent given the current state of the roster.
One team that could be interested in acquiring him in a trade is the Los Angeles Rams. Over at Bleacher Report, they believe the Giants and Rams can come together on a deal. The Giants would send Barkley west in exchange for Darrell Henderson and a 2023 third-round pick.
For the Giants, they recoup some value for Barkley, who may not be in their long-term plans. Henderson is in the final year of his rookie deal and would provide a starting option in place of Barkley.
For the Rams, they would be getting another potential impact playmaker for their offense. Barkley would combine with Cam Akers to create one of the best running back duos in the NFL heading into the 2022 season. Sean McVay would have a blast working someone with Barkley’s skill set into the offense given how good of a receiver he is.
This deal is a win-win for both teams, as the Giants continue their rebuild and the Rams continue upgrading their roster for another Super Bowl run.
