What if the Giants actually made the right call letting Saquon Barkley go?

Sometimes, the brain and heart can function as one. But that often leads to problems and poor business decisions, particularly in the NFL. The New York Giants did their best to avoid that issue this past offseason by letting ex-franchise running back Saquon Barkley walk for nothing.

Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent. On the same day, the Giants replaced him with veteran Devin Singletary -- agreeing to terms on a three-year, $16.5 million deal.

After Week 1, Barkley made Giants general manager Joe Schoen and New York's front office look foolish with his three-touchdown Eagles debut. However, if a fundamental stat is any indication, the pendulum swung the other way in Week 2.

As Ian Hartitz of Fantasy Life notes, Singletary has averaged 5.1 yards per carry to Barkley's 4.5 through two weeks of the 2024 campaign. While it's a simple rushing metric, the former being more efficient than the latter on a per-tote basis is a fact nonetheless. So, perhaps the Giants were right to make the moves they did this offseason, regardless of the emotional attachment to a player.

What if the Giants actually made the right call letting Saquon Barkley go?

In response, and rightfully so, NBC Sports' Denny Carter sentences Hartitz to "analytics jail." Albeit noteworthy, there are much more advanced numbers that paint a clearer picture. Moreover, much more goes into the Singletary versus Barkley argument for the G-Men — situation matters.

Even if you disagree with it, making substantial financial investments in running backs isn't considered a proper allocation of resources in today's era of football. Frankly, it can make roster construction elsewhere challenging. The Giants found a cheaper alternative to Barkley in Singletary, who's proving to be a bang for his buck when comparing their salaries.

New York's preseason expected win total was a measly 6.5 games. Since then, that tally has only gotten lower. With that in mind, committing a hefty amount of money to retain Barkley never felt practical. Big Blue had (and still has) so many other positional groups they must address at the time of his departure. Spending a lot on a tailback is counterintuitive.

Giants owner John Mara admitted he'd have a "tough time sleeping" if Barkley wound up in Philly, which ultimately happened. Understandably, that's probably factoring into the agony fans feel seeing the 2018 No. 2 overall pick thrive with the Eagles. Meanwhile, Singletary is doing his part to ease the pain.