Giants GM Joe Schoen’s stark Saquon Barkley reality: Not paying Daniel Jones $40M for handoffs

Tuesday night’s “Hard Knocks” premiere gave Giants fans an inside look at how painful a business it is behind the scenes.

In a closed-door meeting with seven of his closest constituents, Giants general manager Joe Schoen pointed out the financial reality of paying quarterback Daniel Jones $40 million and retaining a high-priced running back in then-pending free agent Saquon Barkley.

“We’ve got to upgrade the offensive line, and you’re paying the guy $40 million — it’s not to hand the ball off to a $12 million back,” Schoen said to director of player personnel Tim McDonnell, who questioned the team’s offensive identity without Barkley.

Jones is entering the second year of a four-year contract worth $160 million, and the Giants’ large commitment to him forces savings in other aspects of roster construction.

And that came to the forefront with Barkley’s negotiations.

In a separate conversation regarding the former Penn State star, Giants owner John Mara told Schoen on Feb. 13 that “in a perfect world, I’d still like to have him back.”