NFL insider retracts controversial report that Giants offered star RB contract | Sporting News

The New York Giants were heavily active in the running back market this offseason, and one of the top names available was former first-round pick Josh Jacobs.

Ending his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, Jacobs wound up signing a four-year deal worth $48 million with the Green Bay Packers.

However, a report from Dan Pompei of The Athletic stated that the Giants offered him more than the Packers did in free agency.

Pompei initially reported that the Giants offered between “$3 million and $4 million” more than what Jacobs eventually accepted from the Packers, but that the star running back was “was turned off by the New York taxes, lifestyle, media and the artificial turf at MetLife Stadium.”

Later, however, Pompei retracted the report saying the Giants never made that type of offer to Jacobs. 

It’s likely the Giants did have some level of interest in Jacobs during free agency considering the departure of star Saquon Barkley.

With that said, it’s difficult to believe the Giants hesitated to give Barkley what the Philadelphia Eagles did — three years, $39 million — but would be comfortable beating Jacobs’ deal with the Packers.

General manager Joe Schoen made it clear during “Hard Knocks” that the front office leans heavily into the analytics side of the running back market, especially when it comes to the age cliff and overall value of the position in free agency.

It would also have been a stark omission from Hard Knocks if they left that kind of storyline on the cutting room floor, given how much of the Barkley discourse dominated the series.

Regardless, the Giants will go into a crucial season with Devin Singletary leading the backfield on a fair-market deal.

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