The New York Giants declined to re-sign star running back Saquan Barkley this offseason, forcing him to sign a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Instead, the Giants signed Devin Singletary in free agency for less than half the amount of his previous contract (three years, $16.5 million).
But before agreeing to terms with Singletary and shelving Barkley, general manager Joe Schoen was targeting another free agent, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,653) in 2022.
Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers on March 11, the first day of free agency.
In a recent interview work outJacobs said the Giants actually offered Jacobs more than Green Bay and Barkley.
The Giants offered him $3 million to $4 million more than he ultimately accepted, but Jacobs was turned off by New York taxes, lifestyle, media and the artificial turf at MetLife Stadium.
When the Packers offered $48 million for four years, he was intrigued, but he still saw himself as a Raiders player for life. In his mind, his first team was his home, not his employer. So he gave the Raiders a chance to match. When they turned him down, he said he would take less than the Packers offered, including incentives. The Raiders turned him down.
It doesn’t take long for players to notice certain elements of the New York metropolitan area. Some players want to play here, but many are now seeing what Jacobs sees.
The media is relentless, and if you’re a small-town guy who likes to keep things simple, New York is a tough place to be. Taxes are a turn-off, and the MetLife Stadium turf has ruined many a career.
The real point of this article is that the Giants signed Jacobs for big money. We didn’t know that until today.
So they were willing to allocate a ton of cap space to a running back who wasn’t Saquon Barkley. That changes the perspective on Schoen’s conversation about running backs on HBO. hard knock.
What would have happened if Jacobs had accepted the Giants’ offer? We’ll never know for sure, but this news shows how well Joe Schoen can hide his cards.
