New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll met the media on Wednesday morning, the first day of the team’s 2023 training camp workouts.
Shortly before the duo came out, news broke that the club had locked up All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas with a record-setting contract extension that will have him wearing Giant Blue until the end of the decade.
But it was Tuesday’s deal — the one that secured the services of star running back Saquon Barkley — that reporters were most inquisitive about.
Both Schoen and Daboll had little to say except that they were “ecstatic” and “fired up” about the moves.
Schoen said they weren’t able to agree on a long-term deal with Saquon and that’s OK. “I respect the hell out of Saquon. … I admire him.” Schoen said you don’t work on something for 9.5 months and not want to get something done. “Everybody loves Saquon. We appreciate him.”
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) July 26, 2023
Joe Schoen said they’re “ecstatic” and “fired up” to have Saquon for the start of camp.
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) July 26, 2023
Barkley’s deal is essentially the franchise tag one which will pay him $10.091 million for this season, with two exceptions. He will receive $2 million of that up front as a signing bonus, and can earn an additional $910k in incentives.
“We’re a better team with Saquon here,” Scheon added. He also told reporters that there was never any talk by Barkley or his camp during negotiations about a possible holdout.
Schoen also reiterated that he never had any talks with other teams regarding trading Barkley, despite reports to the contrary.
Giants GM Joe Schoen: “We never had a conversation about trading Saquon. Never.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) July 26, 2023
Daboll, always a positive spinner, said that he and Barkley “have a great relationship” and is looking forward to getting to work.
Daboll: “I’m excited all our guys are here. … We have a bunch of good guys in the locker room.”
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) July 26, 2023
In addition, Schoen thanked the Giants’ brass for allowing him the financial latitude to retain his core and key players.
Schoen—“I’m thankful to ownership to give us the resources to move forward”
— The Giant Insider Newspaper & Podcast (@GiantInsider) July 26, 2023
