Colin Cowherd makes odd claim about Daniel Jones, John Mara

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Colin Cowherd makes odd claim about Giants' Daniel Jones, John Mara

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 6/13/23

Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd shared quite a hot take about the New York Giants signing quarterback Daniel Jones and using the franchise tag on running back Saquon Barkley.

As Dan Benton explained for Giants Wire/USA Today, Cowherd said during an edition of his "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program that Giants co-owner John Mara "forced" general manager Joe Schoen to sign Jones to a four-year contract that could be worth up to $160M and includes an additional $35M in incentives.

"They negotiated against themselves," Cowherd added about New York not letting Jones reach free agency in March. "No one else would have signed Daniel Jones to anything resembling that contract."

Art Stapleton, who serves as a Giants beat reporter for multiple outlets, responded to Cowherd's comments:

Ownership did not force the Jones contract. Schoen has set what he believes is the value he wants to spend on Saquon. Period. Jones doesn't prevent Saquon. If anything, if Jones was tagged, that likely would have forced Saquon elsewhere.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 12, 2023

Cowherd indicated the Giants should've used the franchise tag to retain Jones' rights while attempting to get a long-term deal done with Barkley. That opinion ignores the fact it's been heavily reported Barkley's representatives rejected a multi-year contract worth around $13M per year with incentives that could've bumped the deal to $14M. There's no sign Schoen is willing to offer Barkley a more expensive contract, and the executive seems happy to allow the 26-year-old to play on the $10.091M franchise tender for 2023.

Somewhat ironically, former sports agent and current CBS Sports NFL contracts and salary-cap expert Joel Corry suggested last month that Mara could essentially force Schoen to "get a deal done" with Barkley before the July 17 deadline for teams to sign tagged players. Back in February, ESPN's Jordan Raanan wrote that Mara "understands Barkley's value" as an on-the-field contributor and as it pertains to off-the-field marketability.

For what it's worth, no Giants insider ever hinted before Cowherd's claim that Mara made Schoen lock Jones down. Cowherd certainly isn't the only individual to criticize Big Blue regarding the Jones deal, but the host could've done so without voicing an opinion that was quickly debunked.

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