Reporter suggests Eagles' Saquon Barkley could impact Giants' Brian Daboll, Joe Schoen decisions

Numerous reporters and analysts continue to say that New York Giants co-owner John Mara doesn't want to fire head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen even though the 2-11 club has taken multiple steps in the wrong direction since it notched a road playoff win in January 2023. 

With the Giants preparing to host the 8-5 Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, ESPN's Jordan Raanan speculated that Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley could make Mara's decision easy via the regular-season finale played at Lincoln Financial Field next month. 

"Twelve straight losses to end the season would be brutal," Raanan wrote about the Giants for a piece published Friday. "A stadium filled with more Ravens than Giants fans on Sunday wouldn't sit well with Mara. And what about a late December home game against the Indianapolis Colts with thousands of empty seats? ...Still, the ultimate insult to injury could come in Week 18 when the Giants close the season against the Eagles. Just imagine if star running back Barkley sets the single-season rushing record against his former team. That could be the final nail in the Schoen and Daboll coffin."

Eric Dickerson rushed for an NFL single-season record 2,105 yards during the 1984 season, while Barkley began Friday with 1,623 yards on the ground for the ongoing campaign. Of course, it's now no secret that Mara wanted the Giants to retain Barkley this past offseason after the 27-year-old featured for New York from 2018-2023. However, Mara let Schoen have the final call regarding Barkley's future.

Barkley reached free agency and ultimately signed a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to join the Eagles in March, and he's now the heavy betting favorite to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Per the StatMuse website, Barkley enters this weekend leading the NFL with 1,890 yards from scrimmage for the season. Meanwhile, the 11-2 Eagles have already clinched a playoff berth.

"There reaches a point where keeping the coach and/or general manager becomes bad for business," Raanan explained. "It can affect sponsorship, ticket sales and the overall brand. That is when coaches and general managers get fired, when it's bad for ownership's pockets." 

Barkley enjoying a historic season with the Eagles shouldn't, on its own, be enough for Mara to blow things up in January. With that said, Mara may be ready to make wholesale changes if the Giants are viewed as a complete embarrassment before Week 18 rolls around.