Giants Owner John Mara Declined Saquon Barkley’s Trade Request In 2023
This Thursday, the same day Eagles running back Saquon Barkley plays against his former Giants team in New York, a documentary titled Saquon will be released for streaming on Prime Video. Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, the project divulges some new information, like how team owner John Mara declined Barkley’s request for a trade before he eventually hit free agency. 
The documentary follows Barkley as he goes through the trials and tribulations of his contact negotiations with New York that never quite worked out into a new deal. Barkley reportedly shows the emotional side of the ordeal, during which he considered brash moves like publicly demanding a trade or causing other sorts of online drama before ultimately allowing his better judgement to keep him from acting on impulse.
Dunleavy details a part of the documentary that takes place “at the height of (Barkley’s) frustration,” on the final day in 2023 for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term extensions. On the day, Barkley reportedly asked Mara directly for permission to seek a trade.
“I’m not going to do that,” Mara said in response, per Dunleavy. “That makes no sense for us. To be honest with you, it’s not going to be in your long-term best interest to do that. There’s no way that I would allow that at this point. You are too valuable to this franchise.”
Barkley’s value to the franchise was apparently too great to consider trading, but seemingly not great enough to pay. In the project, Barkley laments how he would’ve settled for $10MM or $11MM per year, if New York had just operated with an air of mutual respect. Instead, as he tried to meet them in the middle, the Giants never seemed to budge an inch.
Barkley explained how he believed he was being “spitefully penalized for not accepting the Giants’ first contract offer,” one made during the team’s bye week in 2022. That deal would’ve given him only $18MM guaranteed over a three-year period when the franchise tag at that time guaranteed $10.1MM in just a single year alone.
While Mara was obviously looking out for the team’s best interest in not permitting Barkley to seek trade interest, a warning had come from general manager Joe Schoen months earlier telling the top brass not to grant the request to Barkley. Barkley had suggested the idea of having his agent quietly call around to gauge his market to aid him in his negotiations, but Schoen warned him off of it, “hinting that he would want a first- or second-round pick in return.”
As history recalls, no trades took place, even as the Giants crossed the 2023 trade deadline with a 2-6 record, and when final offers were exchanged between team and player, the two sides were less than $2MM apart in both total value and total guarantees. Barkley signed the three-year, $37.75MM deal in Philadelphia with $26MM guaranteed, and after a record-setting 2024 campaign that many assert would not have been possible in New York, the Eagles extended his contract another two years for $41.2MM.
Giants Looking More At Depth Than Impact At WR
After losing star second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear, no one would blame the Giants for aggressively pursuing a replacement, but so far, no such efforts have been made. In fact, the team came out earlier this week to say that they are unlikely to pursue any additions at the position. 
Seeming to go against that claim, though, New York hosted a number of pass catchers this week for tryouts, per Pat Leonard of NY Daily News Sports. These were not veteran free agents that were getting their tires kicked. The visitors included Michael Woods, Rakim Jarrett, Brandon Johnson, and Samori Toure, who ended up signing to the Broncos practice squad today.
So, based on the lack of interest in impact veterans available on the free agent market or on other teams’ practice squads and based on the lack of trade talks for impact receivers, it seems clear that the Giants have faith in the abilities of their current receiving corps; they’re more concerned with depth. With Nabers, Da’Quan Felton, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton all on injured reserve, the Giants only have five wideouts on the 53-man roster: Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins, and Gunner Olszewski. New York also rosters veterans Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Ihmir Smith-Marsette and rookie Dalen Cambre on the practice squad.
Even with the options on the taxi squad, the Giants decided not to utilize one of their two allotted standard gameday practice squad elevations on the position, shocking Dan Duggan of The Athletic, who expected Humphrey’s name to get called. While Robinson and Slayton have shown their ability to be impact players on the offense, this situation is being viewed as an opportunity for the former third-round pick, Hyatt, to step up in a big way. Over his first two seasons, Hyatt has disappointed with only 31 catches for 435 yards and no scores.
Duggan, though, has put forth a theory that Collins, an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame, will get the majority of looks at WR3. Collins had a couple more snaps than Hyatt in Week 3, while Hyatt just edged out Collins for more snaps last week. Either way, it appears New York is intent on utilizing what it has on hand to run their passing game, while looking to replenish the back end of the group with potential practice squad additions.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart Believed Saints Might Draft Him With No. 9 Pick
The Saints were heavily connected to quarterback Jaxson Dart in the run-up to this year’s draft, as the club hosted the Ole Miss product on a “30” visit and did extensive work on him. But New Orleans, which held the No. 9 overall pick, did not consider any quarterback in this year’s class outside of Cam Ward worthy of that selection, and the groundwork the team laid for a potential trade-up into the latter stages of the first round or the early portion of the second round did not produce a deal.
Instead, the Giants selected Dart with the No. 25 overall pick, which they obtained by trading back into the first round after using their No. 3 overall selection on EDGE Abdul Carter. New York head coach Brian Daboll grew fonder of Dart as the draft process went on, and Dart put together a promising training camp and preseason slate. Making his regular season debut in Week 4, he flashed in helping the Giants secure an upset win over the Chargers, Big Blue’s first victory of the campaign.
The Saints ultimately used their No. 40 choice on Louisville passer Tyler Shough, who recently turned 26 but who saw his draft stock rise in the late winter and early spring despite his age. However, New Orleans elected to open the season with 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler as its QB1, and while Rattler’s surface-level statistics are not terrible, the team has struggled to an 0-4 record.
In making his second career start in Week 5, Dart will have a chance to show the Saints what they missed, as New Orleans will host Dart’s Giants. He appears to be looking forward to that opportunity.
Given the pre-draft work the Saints did on Dart, the signal-caller believed he had a good chance to hear his name called when New Orleans was on the clock with the No. 9 selection (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic). Dart acknowledged that being passed over put a chip on his shoulder.
Of course, it is much too soon to tell what will become of Dart’s and Shough’s careers. It could be that the Saints’ new coaching staff is simply allowing its rookie passer – who has just two pass attempts thus far, both of which came towards the tail end of a blowout loss in Week 3 – to slowly acclimate to the professional level in an obvious transitional year, while Daboll’s shaky job security may have been at least partially responsible for his decision to insert Dart into the starting lineup.
Even so, a strong Dart performance and a Giants win will not do much to assuage any angst in New Orleans.
Anthony Richardson, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins Not Drawing Trade Interest
With experienced starting quarterbacks Anthony Richardson (Colts), Russell Wilson (Giants), and Kirk Cousins (Falcons) occupying backup roles for their teams, it stands to reason any of the three could wind up on the move before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. However, four weeks into the season, nobody from that group has drawn interest, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports.
Of that trio, Richardson is the least likely to change hands, according to Jones. The former fourth overall pick (2023) disappointed during his first two years in the league, and he then lost a preseason competition to Daniel Jones for the Colts’ starting job this summer. Jones has since gotten off to a surprisingly fast start for the 3-1 Colts, further calling Richardson’s future into question.
The Colts are inclined to keep Richardson through the season, though, as he’ll remain under team control in 2026. He has a fifth-year option for 2027 that Indianapolis will have to decide on in the offseason. Unless his stock rises dramatically this year, it would be a shock if the Colts exercised it.
With the Giants having benched Wilson for rookie Jaxson Dart in late September, the 36-year-old looks like the most logical trade candidate of this group. The Giants haven’t actively sought out offers for Wilson, per Jones, but that could change over the next month. They already have another veteran backup in Jameis Winston under contract for next season.
Wilson, on the other hand, is due to reach free agency again during the spring after signing a one-year, $10.5MM contract with the Giants. An acquiring team would take on Wilson’s prorated $2MM base salary while likely surrendering a Day 3 draft pick, Jones hears.
Despite a quality track record as a starter, it’s no surprise that Cousins hasn’t drawn interest. His contract – which comes with expensive guarantees in the form of a $27.5MM base salary this year and a $10MM roster bonus for 2026 – is prohibitive. The Falcons would reportedly want an acquiring team to take on Cousins’ financial commitments and give up a premium draft pick. Barring drastic changes, he’s likely to ride out the season as the backup to Michael Penix Jr.
Assuming none of Richardson, Wilson, or Cousins end up back in starting roles with their current teams, it may require a contending club(s) suffering a significant injury at QB for any of them to garner trade interest. The Bengals make sense as a potential suitor on paper, having lost starter Joe Burrow to a toe injury in Week 2. Burrow could miss three months (if not more), and backup Jake Browning has struggled mightily since taking the reins. Despite that, the Bengals remain confident in Browning. They also rarely swing in-season trades, and the Mike Brown-led organization may be unwilling to add to its payroll.
Beyond Cincinnati, the Ravens, Vikings, and 49ers are also dealing with injuries to their starters. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson could miss multiple games with a hamstring injury, but they signed an experienced backup in Cooper Rush last March.
The Vikings also have a battle-tested reserve of their own, Carson Wentz, who’s playing in place of J.J. McCarthy as he recovers from an ankle sprain. As for the 49ers, they appear to be in great shape with No. 2 signal-caller Mac Jones, who has excelled filling in for Brock Purdy. With Purdy down with a toe injury, Jones has led the 49ers to three wins in as many starts.
Malik Nabers To Undergo ACL Surgery; Giants WR Expected To Be Cleared For Training Camp
Malik Nabers‘ second season with the Giants came to an abrupt end in Week 4. The Giants’ leading wideout suffered an ACL tear, setting him up for a lengthy road to recovery. 
The rehab process will begin shortly. Nabers’ surgery is expected to take place this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The procedure will address the ACL tear but also the fact the 22-year-old tore his meniscus. Dan Duggan of The Athletic adds the meniscus repair is unlikely to add to the recovery timeline; per Duggan, Nabers’ knee did suffer any other damage.
Provided all goes well with the surgery, Schefter reports Nabers is expected to be fully healed in time for training camp next summer. In addition to the looming rehab process on his knee, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist will have time to allow his lingering shoulder and toe injuries to heal. Nabers had been playing through a partially torn labrum along with turf toe when his ACL tear occurred. Schefter notes surgery was contemplated in the case of the shoulder ailment, but it (along with Nabers’ toe) will now heal without any procedure taking place.
The Giants’ offense will be without its focal point the rest of the way, and a notable receiver acquisition to compensate for the loss of Nabers is not expected. That means the likes of Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt will be counted to lead the way at the receiver position. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart could also turn to tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger as options in the passing game. Dart won his first start, but further success will be hard to come by for the 1-3 Giants with Nabers out of the picture.
The LSU product set a franchise record with 109 receptions during his rookie season (totaling 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns along the way). Nabers was averaging nearly 69 yards per game through the first month of the 2025 campaign, putting him on track for another high-end statline. Instead, his attention will soon turn to surgery and an effort to heal multiple ailments in time for next summer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/25
Here are Week 5’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: QB Tyler Huntley, DT C.J. Okoye
Buffalo Bills
- Signed from practice squad: LB Jimmy Ciarlo
- Elevated: DT Zion Logue, DT Phidarian Mathis
- Placed on IR: CB Dorian Strong
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: T Devin Cochran, CB Tre Flowers
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Damon Arnette, S Jalen Mills
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from practice squad: CB Chris Lammons
- Elevated: RB Ameer Abdullah, CB Mike Hilton
- Placed on IR: S Daniel Scott
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: OLB Clelin Ferrell, RB Kimani Vidal
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Neville Hewitt, K Jude McAtamney
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: LB Mykal Walker
- Elevated: S Dean Clark, RB Avery Williams
- Waived: WR Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: S Jerrick Reed II, DT Brandon Pili
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: WR Tay Martin
Huntley will be on hand to back up backup quarterback Cooper Rush in Baltimore tomorrow against the Texans. Okoye is called up for the second week in a row as injuries continue to hamper the Ravens’ defensive line, as well.
With some continuing injuries causing some concern in the secondary, the Browns will elevate Avery and Jones for the second straight week. Jones is being elevated for the third time this season, meaning that if Cleveland wants to see him in another game this year, the team will need to sign him to the active roster. The same is true for Logue in Buffalo, Hewitt with the Giants, Clark with the Jets, and Pili in Seattle.
Arnette’s promotion means Week 5 will mark his first regular season action in the NFL since the end of his Raiders tenure in 2021. The former first-round pick revived his career in part through his performances in the UFL this spring, something which created interest from multiple teams in free agency. Arnette, 29, will look to use tomorrow’s contest in a bid to land a permanent role in Houston.
This is the second time the Jets have parted ways with a kick returner following a game in which they had a costly fumble. Williams follows in footsteps of Xavier Gipson, who was waived following a similar mistake in the team’s season opener. There appears to be a pretty short leash for young returners in New York at the moment.
Giants Unlikely To Pursue WR Addition
The Giants have a gaping hole in their receiving corps after losing No. 1 target Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear in last Sunday’s upset win over the Chargers. However, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com hears that the Giants will not seek an outside addition, as a source told him, “There are no replacements for Malik Nabers. You can’t replace that guy.”
It’s hard to argue with that. The 22-year-old Nabers emerged as one of the NFL’s premier receivers as a rookie in 2024 despite subpar quarterback play. The former sixth overall pick from LSU hauled in 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. He opened this season with another 18 catches, 275 yards, and two scores in parts of four games while mostly working with Russell Wilson.
The Giants will now have to wait until 2026 to see if Nabers and newly named starter Jaxson Dart, a rookie first-round pick, will be able to form a franchise-altering rapport. Dart hit Nabers twice for 20 yards last week before the wideout went down for the year.
With Nabers out of commission, the Giants are set to audition free agent Samori Toure on Friday. That would be a low-end depth pickup, though, as Toure has a mere 13 catches on his resume since the Packers chose him in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. He hasn’t even appeared in a regular-season game since 2023.
Assuming the 1-3 Giants don’t venture outside the organization for an impact pass catcher, it could provide Jalin Hyatt an opportunity to finally establish himself. In doing so, Hyatt would give the Giants a useful complement to their top two healthy receivers, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton.
The Giants spent a third-round pick on Hyatt in 2023, but the move hasn’t gone according to plan. The former Tennessee standout caught 23 of 40 targets for 373 yards over 17 scoreless games as a rookie in 2023. Hyatt followed that up with an eight-catch, 62-yard, zero-touchdown showing in 16 games last year. Despite the underwhelming start to Hyatt’s career, general manager Joe Schoen reportedly rebuffed interested teams when they asked about him before the season.
While Schoen wouldn’t move Hyatt during the summer, he has been a non-factor so far in 2025. The 24-year-old has played in two games, logged 35 snaps, and failed to record a catch. Nevertheless, Hyatt is confident he’ll rise to the occasion in the wake of Nabers’ injury.
“I knew I’d get my chance this year — just didn’t know when,” Hyatt said this week (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “Can’t wait for the opportunity I’ve been waiting a long time for. Now, just have to take advantage of it.”
Hyatt also expressed optimism that he and Dart will continue building on a connection that began forming when the two were on the Giants’ scout team earlier in the season. They’ll have a chance to carry that over into this Sunday’s game against the winless Saints.
Giants To Try Out Samori Toure
Having lost superstar No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending torn ACL, the Giants are looking to replenish their depth at the position. With that in mind, they’ll work out free agent receiver Samori Toure on Friday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports. Now 27 years old, Toure entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Packers in 2022. Toure caught 13 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown with the Packers over two seasons, and he hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game since 2023. The Bears signed Toure to a reserve/futures contract last January, but they waived him in August. The 6-foot-1, 196-pounder has been on the open market since then.
- Along with Bobby Hart, whom they signed to their practice squad, the Chargers worked out fellow offensive linemen Chris Hubbard and Zachary Thomas on Wednesday, Wilson relays. Hubbard, 34, has 102 games of experience and 61 starts under his belt. The guard/tackle played in eight games and totaled three starts with the Giants last year. Thomas divided 2024 between the Patriots and Texans, with whom he combined for 14 of his 17 career appearances. He still hasn’t logged a start since debuting with the Rams in 2022.
Giants Owner John Mara Diagnosed With Cancer
John Mara announced on Monday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. The Giants’ co-owner made it clear he will remain involved with the team as he proceeds with treatment.
“I have recently been diagnosed with cancer and have been following the treatment plan recommended by an outstanding team of doctors,” a statement from Mara reads in part. “I’m feeling strong and optimistic, and I’m committed to seeing this through to a positive outcome. I plan to remain active with the team throughout my treatment, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by incredible support – personally, professionally, and medically.”
Mara was present for yesterday’s game at MetLife Stadium. The 70-year-old will presumably continue to be a regular figure at the Giants’ headquarters as much as possible based on his statement. Mara’s time with the Giants dates back to 1991.
That span includes his tenure as the team’s general counsel which was followed by time spent as the Giants’ executive vice president and COO. When Mara’s father Wellington passed away in 2005, he took on his current role as president in addition to co-owner. Alongside chairman and EVP Steve Tisch, Mara has overseen the organization ever since.
It remains to be seen how much of an impact this news will have on the day-to-day operations of the franchise. For now, at least, Mara’s diagnosis has left him in position to continue working in his current capacity on a regular basis. Hopefully that will remain the case through the course of his treatment.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/29/25
Four teams are playing on Monday night, three of which made elevations from their practice squad. Here are those transactions and the rest of today’s minor moves from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: RB Michael Carter
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: WR DeAndre Carter
Denver Broncos
- Elevated from practice squad: LB Garret Wallow
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from Cowboys’ practice squad: LB Buddy Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed from practice squad: K Riley Patterson
- Placed on IR: CB Jason Marshall
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: WR Malik Nabers (story)
- Waived: OLB Tomon Fox
New York Jets
- Elevated from practice squad: S Dean Clark, LB Mykal Walker
With Jason Sanders on IR, Patterson has been the Dolphins’ kicker to start the season. The team used up his three practice squad elevations in the first three games, so he had to be signed to the active roster to play in Monday night’s game vs. the Jets.
Marshall, a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, played a rotational role in a depleted Dolphins secondary in Weeks 1-3. The unit will now need to turn to depth options like Cornell Armstrong and Julius Brents.