It is sure to say that John López has not had a fun football season. A fan of the giants, since he can remember, the 31-year-old New Yorker saw every week while his beloved team stumbled upon a 3-14 record with dysfunction both inside and outside the field.
But the person who caused the greatest pain even in the list.
“Every time I see Saquon Barkley running for a touchdown, it’s like a total blow,” News told NBC this week.
It refers, of course, to the Superstar of the Philadelphia Eagles that played the last six seasons in New York. Written by the giants in 2018 with the general selection number 2, Barkley was the face of the franchise. It was the most dangerous offensive weapon they had and, with much, the most popular player of the team.
When Barkley arrived in New York, the team was in transition in recent years with Campo Marshal Eli Manning, who took them to two Super Bowl victories. Barkley was announced as the offensive weapon that the giants needed to be a contender for the title, but the problems from top to bottom of the list avoided that that would happen.
The Metlife stadium used to be full of blue and white t -shirts with “Barkley” on the back. However, in the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans, it will run out of the tunnel in Midnight Green, since the giants still seem trapped in an endless reconstruction mode.
“Every giant fan dies a bit inside thinking of seeing Saquon Barkley, confetti everywhere, raising the Lombardi trophy,” he said.
Barkley joined Philadelphia last season as a free agent in a three -year agreement and $ 37.75 million. That won and then some, running for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. In the postseason, it has 442 yards in 66 hauls (an average of 6.7 yards) and five scores per earth.
New York fans are quick to point out that it didn’t have to be. A couple of years ago, the giants had the opportunity to sign Barkley for a long -term agreement and instead chose to franchise it, which means that it would play one more season in a fully guaranteed agreement of $ 10.1 million and review the negotiations of contracts later. However, when that moment came, none of the parties could agree on a new contract to keep it in the big block, and became a free agent.
The exact reasons to let it walk are not clear. Some point to Barkley’s age and injury. Others point to the devaluation of runners throughout the league.
Then there is the extension of the contract of four years and $ 160 million that the team gave the then tram Daniel Jones in 2023. With its signal recruitor demanding so much space in the top, it did not make financial sense also to bring its correct treatment.
To worsen things, the whole process was documented on Hard’s “Hard Knocks” so that the world sees it.
In a clip now famous, the owner of the giants, John Mara, told General Manager Joe Schoen that “he would have difficulty sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia.”
That is exactly what happened.
“It’s horrible,” said Alex Day, a host and content creator with Regional Sports Channel, Yes Network. “He goes from being the face of the franchise not only to do what you knew he could always do, but in reality he is doing it with the team that you hate, more than the cowboys, more than any other team. It’s like seeing Your ex -girlfriend kiss her new boyfriend live every week, and you also know that her new boyfriend is much better than you. “
Dan Schneier, who receives the podcast of Giants “Big Blue Bitter”, rushes to point out that Barkley would not have close to the same success if he had stayed in New York. His incredible season is partially based on possibly crossing the best offensive line of the NFL and having a superior field marshal and another offensive talent take it away.
But even he admits that the most rational fans are lost at this time when they see Barkley break another race or hinder back on a defensive player.
“The giant fans base is as fractured and broken as I have seen since I began to cover the team, and probably since I began to become a fan,” he said. “I do not necessarily think that it is 100% linked to Saquon’s firm with the Eagles and free agency, but I think that exacerbated it. Ultimately, what is reduced is that the team has been losing for a long time without any hope. The fan base does not trust property. So, Saquon’s addition is like a cherry at the top. ”
To make things worse, Jones, the player that the giants chose to build, was released mid-season after a start of 2-8. Extra salt was poured on the wound when this postseason was seen in the Barkley suite encouraging his old friend with a different uniform.
Despite the questions about the franchise direction, Mara chose to bring back to Schoen and chief coach Brian Daboll for another season. The continuity, he said, was important to change everything.
However, Mara admitted: “I have run out of patience” after a year that saw the giants establish records of loss franchises in a season, losses in a row and a record without victories in the division.
They will go to the low season with a couple of new stars in the Malik Nabers receiver and the Tyrone Tracy Jr. corridor but many holes to fill both sides of the ball, the most important thing in the Quarterback. New York has selection No. 3 in the next NFL draft.
Giant supporters are not optimistic.
“This is the lowest that fans have felt about the future of the organization,” Schneier said. “(Mara) is asking for patience and fans are not doing it. … have turned on the owner more than I have seen them turn against him. “
The giants will seek to build both in free agency and in the April Draft. But before that may happen, they must endure another game of Barkley, in the Super Bowl. He will make his work reduce for him against a defense of the Chiefs career that is among the top 10 in both yards allowed by hauling (4.2) and yards allowed by game (106.7).
The day estimates that 80% of New York fans will support Kansas City on Sunday. A three -mobb peat is much more pleasant than seeing an opponent to win a league title with its former star.
“Seeing Saquon holding the Lombardi trophy in an Eagles shirt would give me nightmare,” he said. “I would never recover from that.”
