Before Saquon Barkley left the Giants for the Eagles in free agency, Giants owner John Mara made it known he would not be happy about it.
Mara told Giants General Manager Joe Schoen that Giants fans love Barkley and that it would be difficult for Mara to see Barkley in an Eagles uniform.
“I’m going to have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I can tell you that,” Mara said, as seen on Hard blows“Like I told you, I’ve met enough players, but he’s by far the most popular player we have.”
Mara’s comments illustrate how different people within an organization view personnel changes: Schoen only wants to put the best team on the field he can, and Schoen made it clear early in free agency that he did not think the salary cap space Barkley would take up was the best use of the Giants’ resources.
But as an owner, Mara also cares about ticket sales, merchandise and sponsorships, and that means he cares about a player’s popularity with fans. And when Barkley left, the Giants lost a player who sells a lot of jerseys.