Giants Inquired About RB Josh Jacobs During Free Agency

The Giants were one of the 10-12 teams that contacted Jacobs this offseason.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) runs through a drill on Friday, July 26, 2024, at Ray Nitschke Field in Ashwaubenon, Wis. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

As teams gear up for the start of the regular season next month, the New York Giants will look very different on the offensive side of the ball.

For the first time since 2017, the Giants will be taking the field for Week 1 without Saquon Barkley in the backfield. The Barkley-Giants contract saga came to an end in March, when he signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the rival Eagles, sparking upset amongst the fanbase.

Barkley spent six seasons with the team as their workhorse ballcarrier, his absence presenting a challenge to the Giants' offense they haven't dealt with in years. They signed Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million deal to be their primary back. 

Singletary's been consistent and durable throughout his career, missing just one game over the last four seasons. He has connections to general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll from their time together with the Bills, so it's easy to see why Singletary became a Giant.

However, the Giants inquired about another top name before signing Singletary. Former Raiders and current Packers running back Josh Jacobs revealed that the Giants were one of the teams to inquire about his interest in joining them.

"I didn't want to go to a team where I felt like I was going to be in a rebuilding situation," Jacobs told ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. 

"I didn't want to go to a team where I didn't feel like I was going to come in and immediately make an impact and be able to be one of the factors to get over the hump."

The Giants, of course, are further behind the Packers in terms of having a stable team, at least until proven otherwise. Jacobs, who played for the Raiders who like the Giants weren’t an annual playoff contender and who still have questions, are unlike the Packers, who are an ascending team with a quarterback in Jordan Love.

Because talks with the Giants never appeared to get off the ground, it’s unclear if they would have been willing to pay the $12 million per year Jacobs ultimately received from the Packers in his four-year, $48 million contract.  

Schoen made his stance on paying running backs clear on 'Hard Knocks,' citing the decline of production at the position once they hit 27. While it was likely just a formality to see if he'd want to join the team, would it have really made sense to let Barkley walk to sign Jacobs?

#Giants GM Joe Schoen told Frank Gore and @malkikawa that data shows a decline for running backs after age 27.

Saquon Barkley turned 27 in February.pic.twitter.com/tDGuRmNFWD https://t.co/hqBqzGFC6L

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 3, 2024

Probably not, as that would go against Schoen's desire to not pay a running back premium money.

However, Jacobs has been a very productive back despite career lows last season. In 2022, Jacobs had 1,653 rushing yards and twelve touchdowns that earned him both a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection. Jacobs has also been relatively healthy throughout his career, playing in at least 13 games in every season since 2019.

The Giants' signing of Singletary seems like a placeholder until they can find more stability at the position. While he'll be the primary ballcarrier, he won't receive the bulk of snaps like Barkley did. 

Rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr has already made a strong push to be the team's receiving back, given his experience as a wideout in college. Eric Gray is also in the mix for more carries, as he didn't receive many opportunities as a rookie.

The Giants' running back committee will operate differently this year, but it's interesting to see that they attempted to sign Jacobs earlier this year.

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