Good Start To The Offseason: Kayvon Thibodeaux Claims He's 'Mad' That The Giants Paid Daniel Jones A Ton Of Money Before Saquon Barkley
Oh, good. This is what me and every other Gians fan wants to see or hear. The fact is neither Daniel Jones or Saquon should have been paid. Pretty clear Jones isn't the guy as QB1 for the long term and I don't want to pay a running back all this money. Not when the Giants aren't close to Super Bowl contenders. You need to spend that money on, you know, other players? Seems pretty rational here and a normal take. A true WR1, some offensive linemen and all that would be pretty nice before you just give Saquon a ton of money.
I know Saquon is beloved by teammates. That's great, that matters to a degree. But, this is a business still. Look around the league, McCaffrey is the only highly paid running back that matters. You have Gibbs and Pacheco on their first deals. The Ravens just take any running back they want and put them back there. It also took McCaffrey to get to the 49ers to be in this position. You know what the 49ers have? An elite offensive line and an elite defense. That matters!
And, hey, credit to Kayvon. He turned into a damn good player this year after people were questioning him as a rookie. He's someone who is on the path to get paid on his next deal. I'd like to keep an edge rusher more than a running back. Just a reminder, here are the top-10 paid running backs this year, granted some of them were on the franchise tag (h/t Yahoo):
1. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey: $16 million
2. Saints RB Alvin Kamara: $15 million
3. Titans RB Derrick Henry: $12.5 million
4. Browns RB Nick Chubb: $12.2 million
5. Packers RB Aaron Jones: $11.5 million
6. Giants RB Saquon Barkley $10.1 million
6. Cowboys RB Tony Pollard: $10.1 million
6. Raiders RB Josh Jacobs: $10.1 million
9. Cardinals RB James: $7 million
10. Panthers RB Miles Sanders: $6.4 million
Again, look at that list! McCaffrey is awesome, no one is doubting that. Alvin Kamara? Saints picked up Jamaal Williams and drafted another running back. Derrick Henry seems to be out at Tennessee. Chubb suffered a brutal injury. Aaron Jones was awesome in the playoffs but felt like whatever for most of the regular season. Tony Pollard had a let down year. You get the point.
I know it sucks to say, but the Giants should have franchise tagged Daniel Jones and let Saquon walk or signed him for less. Now you're in this spot where Daniel Jones has more years on his deal, Saquon still might walk or you're going to overpay two guys who haven't proven to get you to a contender.
I just want to watch a football team with a decent offense. I'm not even asking elite or great. Just not whatever the fuck we saw this past season.