The New York Giants determined to move on re-signing star operating again Saquon Barkley this offseason, permitting him to defect to the rival Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal.
The Giants landed on Devin Singletary in free company as a substitute, signing him to a cope with lower than half of that (three years, $16.5 million).
However earlier than they got here to phrases with Singletary and hedged on Barkley, basic supervisor Joe Schoen had his sights on one other free agent — Las Vegas Raiders operating again Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in dashing yards (1,653) in 2022.
Jacobs signed with the Inexperienced Bay Packers for 4 years at $48 million on March 11, the primary day of free company.
Throughout a current interview with The Athletic, Jacobs revealed that the Giants had really supplied Jacobs greater than Inexperienced Bay and greater than Barkley.
The Giants got here on sturdy with a proposal between $3 million and $4 million greater than he finally accepted. However Jacobs was turned off by the New York taxes, way of life, media and the unreal turf at MetLife Stadium.
When the Packers supplied $48 million over 4 years, he was intrigued, however he nonetheless pictured himself as a Raider for all times. In his thoughts, his first staff wasn’t his employer as a lot as his dwelling. So he gave the Raiders a possibility to match. After they stated no, he informed them he would settle for lower than the Packers supplied in the event that they included incentives. The Raiders turned him down.
It doesn’t take lengthy for gamers to note sure elements concerning the New York Metropolitan space. Some gamers would like to play right here, however many at the moment are seeing what Jacobs sees.
The media is continuous, and should you’re a small-town man who likes to maintain issues easy, New York is a troublesome place to put low. The taxes are a turnoff and the MetLife Stadium turf has ruined many a profession.
The true takeaway from this piece is that the Giants had been in on Jacobs and for large cash. Till at the moment, we had been unaware of that.
So, they had been prepared to allocate an enormous chunk of cap area to a operating again, simply not Saquon Barkley. That modifications the attitude on lots of the conversations Schoen had about operating backs on HBO’s Laborious Knocks.
What would have occurred if Jacobs accepted the Giants’ provide? We’ll by no means know now, however this information reveals how nicely Joe Schoen can conceal his playing cards.
