The New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two franchises heading in different directions. After being the laughing stock of the league under general manager Dave Gettleman, Joe Schoen has Big Blue back on track heading into Year 2 on the job.
The Giants shockingly made the playoffs in Year 1 and are looking to build sustained success as Schoen continues rebuilding the roster in the vision of he and head coach Brian Daboll. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, could be staring down a rebuild.
That is the price of acquiring the greatest of all time, Tom Brady, to lead the team for a few years. Brady rode off into the sunset of retirement this offseason, leaving Tampa Bay with some tough decisions to make. This certainly doesn’t look like a contending roster, but given the state of the NFC South, another playoff appearance is within reach.
How could the Giants and Buccaneers help each other? As suggested by Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report, a blockbuster trade could make sense for both franchises. In the suggested deal, the Giants would acquire star wide receiver Mike Evans in exchange for star running back Saquon Barkley and a 2024 second-round pick.
New York’s offense goes as Barkley does. When healthy, he has proven to be a premier talent capable of carrying the entire offense. However, he is currently without a contract and seeking a massive deal. The Giants don’t want to move on from him, but if they can acquire a bonafide No. 1 receiver the caliber of Evans, they could consider it.
Evans would provide Daniel Jones and the passing offense the boost they need. He has had 1,000+ receiving yards in all nine seasons of his career thus far and would provide the Giants with a red zone presence they are currently lacking.
With either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask leading their offense, the Buccaneers know a good ground game is imperative. Barkley could certainly provide that, while the team would also be picking up a premium selection to further round out the roster.
By trading Evans, Tampa Bay would also clear $14.5 million in cap space. That would be more than enough to work out the kind of long-term deal that Barkley is seeking.
