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Welcome back.

It's the Big Blue Banter.

New York Giants Football Podcast.

I'm Dan Schneier.

He's always my host, Nick Vallado.

They were here to discuss Joe Shane's Combine talks. He had his own little presser. He talked with John Schmelk and Madeline Burke of Giants.com. And he talked with Chris Sims and Mike Florio. So a lot of nuggets, interesting nuggets. A lot of it was GM speak, Nick. Yeah. I think a lot of this was, why would I not, why would I not hide my hand? Why am I giving you guys anything? I don't give the public SHIT. Sorry for those of you who are listening with kids who can spell. For those who can't, I tried to help out there. Um, but look, there are some interesting things that were said. And we talked about some of them on the last on, we talked about some of them off pod, Nick, but I want to discuss them here as well. The first one I want to talk about is Joe Shane's thoughts on the salary cap increase in the NFL. So I thought this was interesting. And he said this in an interview with Chris Sims and Mike Floyd. And Nick, he said, we were looking at a very conservative offseason after putting together our numbers. And then he said, I was pleasantly surprised to hear about the new salary cap number. And it was larger than we had projected ourselves. So what are your thoughts on that? Well, do you think that will impact the Giants' plans at all in free agency? Yeah, I think it's going to impact every team's plans and free agency because it's not as Giants who are going to have more, but the Giants have free agents that they might want to prioritize a little bit more now that they have some wiggle room. Because I think it was like 30 million more the salary cap than it was projected to be. It was substantial the amount of a salary cap that each NFL team is going to be allocated for next season. but when you look at the New York Giants, you have players like Xavier McKinney, and you have players like Sequan Barclay. And both of those players, now that the Giants do have more wig room, I think they're projected to have north of $30 million in cab space, which they did not, they were going to have like, what, like 19, I think before the salary cap was, was announced. Now you may be able to extend some of those players if you are so inclined to do so. It's just, are you so inclined to do so, but other teams are now going to have more money to outbid the Giants. So you got to factor that in, but I think it's a pleasant surprise as as Joe Shane phrased it is probably's probably, it's probably the most apt way to describe the situation. Yeah, I think they'll be a little bit more aggressive than they were, but I think you're right. Ultimately, it might come down to just will they be able to resign their own. And Joe Shane mentioned some interesting things. We'll talk about that next on some of the guys that they could potentially resign, specifically Sego on Barkiffe. He reiterated again, in my opinion, that contract negotiations started in November of 2022. And by the way, I forgot one interesting thing I want to throw in there. I'm just noticing this. Joe Shane said this specifically in the interview with Chris Sims and Florio, Nick. He said he thinks that what this will mean this type of increase is that the middle class of Freedancy is going to get help the most by this. So that could be an interesting area of where the Giants are actually looking to find their upgrades. This all seems to be the offensive line through Regency. I think no matter what the Giants do, Nick, I want them to address the offensive line of free agency. I think you agree with that regardless of the future of this team. if they'd find a quarterback or if they're going back with Jones, it doesn't matter.

I want them to address the offensive line to some degree in free agency. So that could be where it happens. But on the Barclay front, I thought this was a really interesting quote from Joe Shane. I want to get your thoughts on this. He said, you know, with Barclay, we started back in November 2022. to, we weren't able to come to an agreement in terms of where we're both at.

But he says, we'll circle back in.

He said these two lines that stood out to me, Nick. One, he has a new agent, Ed Barry, who we have a very good relationship with. That stood out to me. Then he also said, I think we've all grown, Sequan, myself, the organization through the last 12, 13, 14 months of these negotiations, he said this, Sequin may now be in a different place than he was then in terms of understanding the market and the business side of it. I'm looking forward to having those conversations with him. So I think that's pointed in a way, in my mind. Did you take a, what did you take away from those, from those two things?

The same thing as you.

I think it's pointed and I think it's optimistic. We can come to a deal with Sequan Barclay, because we want Sequan Barclay back at the right number and maybe at our number, right, at the right number that we can agree on that that's not necessarily overvalued because we're not going to overpay for him as much as we value

Seguan Barclay as a player and a person in the locker room.

But I think it's also just not like shade, but just maybe the reality of the situation that his last representation, Seyquan Barclays, was like, no, you're worth a little bit more, need to get as much as possible, which that's their job to do so. And maybe Edward Barry, since there is a good relationship between the front office of the New York Giants and this agent, there's going to be more room for negotiation and more understanding in the negotiation process that could benefit the New York Giants ultimately. I think it could too in getting Saquan Barkley back at a reasonable price or at least what Joe Shane and the Giants would consider it be a reasonable price. I still have my qualms, Nick, about investing in Seguan Barkley long term at the age of 27, regardless of what price it's going to be and on whose terms it's going to be. So I know we, I think we talked about that. And I didn't want to cut you off there, bud, but I think this is really relevant to the last podcast or the podcast that you're going to be listening to here in a little bit about the quarterback.

Yeah.

How much how much does that factor into this? So let me like rephrase that. So it's a little bit more cogent and concise and clear. Do you want Seguan Barclay back if the Giants do have a first round quarterback that they invested in? If the Giants do trade up for that quarterback, like Michael Garofolo, Giant Insider,

it said 76.9% chance. Art Sableson says 65% chance and decent numbers on both end. They do trade up for that quarterback. I am okay investing long-term and Barclay for multitude reasons. One would be that the salary cap relief they're going to get from the quarterback position because they'll get rid of that Daniel Jones contract next year and they'll just have the rookie contract of the quarterback 9, 10, 11 mil against the cap. You're saving 30 million cap space a year at quarterback and more because Jones's contract was structured in a way that just goes up 47 and 52 million against the cap. So you're saving 40 million in cap space essentially at the quarterback position. you can afford then dish some out to Sakewan Barkley. But two, the main thing is that it's going to make that quarterback's life so much easier, not just because of the things people think, which is, do you strike a ball? I don't really necessarily think, I've always been the belief that defense coordinators aren't really game planning for running backs. They're game planning for quarterbacks and and offensive schemes. They've been game planning for Seguan Barkley.

But I think that's basically since he's coming. coordinators aren't really game planning for running backs. They're game planning for quarterbacks and offensive schemes.

They've been game planning for Sequin Barkley. But I think that's because of the quarterback too. I think that's because of the quarterback too. Of course. Of course it is. It's not like if Joe Burrow was on. Yeah. If there was Joe Burrow, it would be Joe Burrough. But it's been Daniel Jones. Of course. right right so like it's it's like if joerow was there and Barclay was there, my thought process is the game plan would be to stop Joe Burrow.

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