Thibodeaux says the team should have rewarded Barkley before Jones
NEW YORK — Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast that Saquon Barkley should have gotten paid before Daniel Jones.
Thibodeaux’s comments showed strong support for Barkley and presented a key Giants player’s honest reflection on the organization’s priorities.
But it is rare for professional athletes to discuss teammates’ money publicly. And it’s even rarer for a player to talk about a team’s financial investment in its quarterback in a critical light.
“You pay Daniel Jones $40 million [a year], and it was a great — Me? I believe. OK. But lemme tell you what I’m mad at. And this is the only thing I’ll say about that,” Thibodeaux, 23, told hosts Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero. “What I’m mad about is that Saquon — because if you look at the game, the tape, Saquon was responsible for at least 30% of our explosive plays [in 2022] the year we won the playoff game.
“So for me and for the integrity of working together and hard work and we all believe the same things, I feel like Saquon should have got paid first,” Thibodeaux continued. “That’s what I feel. And maybe, I don’t know the back end. Maybe it’s the franchise [tag again], maybe it’s an extension. Maybe it’s blah, blah, blah. That’s none of my business. I don’t. I focus on me.”
Then Anthony chimed in: “That’s the respect we was talking about.”
“Exactly,” Thibodeaux said. “With the team chemistry. Because we see it.”
It’s ironic that Joe Schoen’s first-ever draft pick, the No. 5 overall selection in 2022, would be the one to put the GM’S work under the microscope like this on this Wave Sports + Entertainment Original podcast.
But it was definitely timed intentionally as a message of support for Barkley, 26, who hopes to capitalize on his value this offseason if he’s able. He could be franchise-tagged a second straight year, negotiate an extension with the Giants or sign elsewhere in free agency.
Former Cowboys, Bills and Giants receiver Cole Beasley also chimed in on social media to support the Giants’ back.
“@saquon I need you to go to Dallas,” Beasley wrote on ‘X.’ “Getting to run it up on your old team who disrespected you is rejuvenating. Lol.”
Barkley responded with three laughing emojis, a fist emoji and the message, “miss my dawg.”
Thibodeaux made a second reference to Jones when discussing the Giants falling short on high expectations for 2023.
“This year I’m like, ‘We might win the Super Bowl.’ I’m thinking 12-5. I’m thinking Super Bowl,” Thibodeaux said. But then “nothing went right” in a Week 1 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys, paving the way to a 6-11 season.
“I know all the Giants fans who watched the first drive of the first game, you were like, ‘Oh, we got a chance,’ ” Thibodeaux said. ‘People, they was going to Vegas after that. They were like, ‘Yo, we cooking!’ And then football is football. Things fell apart [in] certain places.”