New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen met with the media at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday and made it clear that he was “open for business.”
That was in direct response to a question regarding a possible trade of running back Saquon Barkley, who is entering his fifth season with the club and is set to earn $7.2 million in 2022.
The Giants can only avoid paying Barkley’s salary if he is traded. Cutting or releasing him would result in a 100 percent dead salary cap charge.
There promises to be some tough cuts very soon as the team is approximately $12 million over the salary cap.
GM Joe Schoen said there are a lot of contingency plans regarding the salary cap. They'll start making moves sooner rather than later.
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) March 1, 2022
Schoen made it known again that he is in fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones’ corner — for now — but has not yet decided if he will exercise Jones’ fifth-year option.
That figure is projected be approximately $21.4 million for one season should the Giants bite. It’s doubtful they will based on Jones’ performance thus far. They would be better served waiting to see how Jones fares this season and take their chances in free agency.
That won’t preclude Schoen from selecting a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft, however. He told reporters he is actively evaluating this year’s quarterback class and that he will bring in a backup (Mitchell Trubisky?) and other players to compete with Jones.
Schoen is open to moving up — or back — in the draft order to get the players and/or draft capital he needs and stated that the team can compete right now while building towards the future. That is an approach that Schoen’s predecessors thought was possible but has failed miserably. Perhaps he’ll have better luck.
One player Scheon said he would not be interested in dealing is last year’s top selection in the draft, wide receiver Kadarius Toney. It is unknown if there’s even any interest around the league in Toney after a rookie season that saw him repeatedly sidelined by several injuries and illnesses.
Head coach Brian Daboll also seems to be taking a particular interest in Toney.
Brian Daboll said that Kadarius Toney (aka Yung Joka) has been sending him some songs to “evaluate”, Daboll joked.
Said they’ve FaceTimed a few times. #Giants
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 1, 2022
Better get Toney on your fantasy teams as soon as possible.
