In their Jones-for-Barkley trade, Giants take a big ‘L’ — actually 10 so far, with more to come

When the Giants said goodbye to Barkley,
The sports world responded so snarkily,
Because they did it to keep Daniel Jones.
Oh, how the fans squealed,
Coach and GM looked like schlemiels,
And to losing they’ve been even more prone.
In spring of 1962, the original Mets made what seemed the worst sports deal ever. They paid $75,000 and a player to be named later for Harry Chiti.
In 15 games, he got eight hits, struck out eight times and hit .195. In June, Chiti was sent to Cleveland as the player to complete the deal: Chiti for Chiti at a cost of $75,000.
Dumb deals happen every year in every sport. In 1931, Joe Engel, owner of the Class C Chattanooga Lookouts, invited his writers to a Thanksgiving dinner, featuring a 25-pound turkey. A local writer told Engel, “You’ve got to get rid of your shortstop.”
Then, between bites, he added, “Johnny Jones will never cut it.”
Engel nodded and said, “I just traded him to Charlotte.”
“What did you get?” the reporter asked.
Engel reached for a drumstick and said, “You’re eating it — and it’s a lot tougher than Jones was.”
While Saquon Barkley wasn’t traded to another team, the Giants nonetheless got the short end of their intramural swap — quarterback Daniel Jones for Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles running back now being pitched as the NFL MVP.
Barkley was the best offensive player on the Giants roster, and he’s now the best running back in the league. He is fast, powerful and knows how to run to daylight. He also knows how to tack yardage to almost every pass he catches.
But Giants management had locked him on to a treadmill for two years in favor of a wrong-headed philosophy. They thought their star was Jones, the wounded quarterback, who had missed the final six games of the 2021 season with a neck injury. His 2023 season ended with an ACL tear to his right knee.
Instead of the blend of money and opportunity the Eagles have given Barkley, the Giants stalled him, depending on the loyalty of a guy who said he wanted to be a Giant forever. They gave the twice-injured and idled Jones a potential $160 million contract and let Barkley leave after more than a year of sweet talk.
The flawed reasoning was that a quarterback’s unproven potential value outweighed the proven ability of the most versatile running back. From the Giants, all Barkley got was vague promises and compliments, even though he, too, had sacrificed his body for wins and losses.
This was clearly not Jones’ fault. The immediate problem was a mix of unfortunate anatomy and front office delusion. Jones may do well elsewhere, but a train wreck back in the Meadowlands remains a train wreck. Jones, you might have heard, begged for his release and the Giants gave him an early Christmas gift.
Jones is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, but his payroll complications persist in East Rutherford. What the Giants got out of their choice was nothing but massive salary-cap headaches.
Meanwhile, Barkley got his money — plus a head coach and quarterback who love him, an offensive coordinator who will keep calling his name, an offensive line that can block, and a fan base that celebrates having another star as much as sticking it to the hated rival who allowed him to get away.
On Sunday, in a 24-19 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Barkley ran for 107 tough yards, with his best work coming in the final quarter, when he first scored on a 25-yard touchdown run that gave the Eagles a nine-point lead. He also picked up a first down on a third-and-seven play that allowed the offense to milk the clock and put the game away.
He has rushed for 1,499 yards and 11 touchdowns, with a 6.1-yard average. On Sunday, Eagles fans who made the trip to Baltimore, chanted “MVP! MVP! MVP!” at him.
“I appreciate the MVP chants,” Barkley said. “It’s great. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games. And I’ve been so locked in, so focused. And my preparation, the way that I work throughout the week, and there’s a reason why I’m getting those chants.
“If I continue to take care of that, once the season is over, we’ll look and see what happens. But at the end of the day, just continue to get wins and put ourselves in a position to go deep in playoffs.”
The Eagles are 10-2 and will battle the Detroit Lions for the NFC’s top seed. The Giants are 2-10 and will battle the league’s bottom feeders for the No. 1 draft pick — while they decide whether the head coach and GM are staying … and where the team can find a decent quarterback.
Jerry Izenberg is Columnist Emeritus for The Star-Ledger. He can be reached at [email protected].