In a twist of fate, two former top draft picks of the New York Giants find themselves on divergent paths. Running back Saquon Barkley, the second overall selection in 2018, is thriving with the Philadelphia Eagles after signing a lucrative free agent deal in the offseason. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones, taken sixth overall just one year after Barkley, saw his Giants tenure come to an unceremonious end this week when he was benched and subsequently released.
The Giants agreed to grant Jones his release on Friday morning, a move both sides felt was in their best interests. After an up-and-down four years in New York, the writing was on the wall for Jones when he was demoted in favor of Tommy DeVito. Now, the 26-year-old signal caller will look to resurrect his once-promising career with a new team.
Barkley Empathizes with Jones’ Journey
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Barkley expressed empathy for his former teammate’s situation. Having also parted ways with the Giants after failing to live up to lofty expectations, the star running back sees parallels between Jones’ exit and his own.
“It sucks to see how everything went down for him over there,” Barkley said. “I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him. You’re not going to really find anybody that can say negative things about him.”
Barkley, who has remained close with Jones despite switching allegiances to an NFC East rival, is hoping the quarterback can chart a similar course to the one he navigated. After an inconsistent Giants tenure marred by injuries, Barkley is back to his explosive ways in midnight green, leading the conference in rushing for the 8-2 Eagles.
“It didn’t work for me over there, and I’m doing well over here,” Barkley noted. “Hopefully, he can find the same fresh start and success.”
Uncertain Future for Jones
The Giants’ decision to move on from Jones, the hand-picked successor to Eli Manning, signals a reset for the floundering franchise. New York currently sits in the NFC East cellar at 2-8, a far cry from their division-leading rivals in Philadelphia.
Though Jones’ stats have been pedestrian, he is still young enough to garner interest from quarterback-needy teams. The Giants will incur a hefty dead cap hit by releasing him, as Jones has nearly $12 million remaining on the four-year, $160 million extension he signed in March 2023.
Several teams could kick the tires on the 2019 first-rounder, but one potential suitor is off the table. Despite losing Dak Prescott to a season-ending hamstring injury, the Dallas Cowboys are content moving forward with Cooper Rush and Trey Lance, per VP Stephen Jones.
A Chance at Redemption
Daniel Jones now finds himself at a career crossroads, much like Barkley did this past spring. The talent that made him a top draft choice still flickers, but Jones needs the right situation to reignite his development. A change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered.
As Barkley’s resurgence in Philadelphia demonstrates, sometimes a fresh start is all it takes to unlock a player’s true potential. For Jones’ sake, he better hope he lands in a spot as fruitful as his former backfield mate did. If so, he may yet pen a redemptive next chapter to his NFL story.
