New York Giants pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux appeared on the latest edition of the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast released on Thursday and addressed the Giants signing quarterback Daniel Jones last March to a four-year contract that allowed the club to hold onto running back Saquon Barkley via the non-exclusive franchise tag.

“Tell you what I’m mad at, and it’s the only thing I’ll say about that,” Thibodeaux explained, as shared by Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report. “What I’m mad about is that Saquon, because if you look at the game, the tape, Saquon was responsible for at least 30% of our explosive plays — talking about the year we won the playoff game (2022-23 season). So for me and for the integrity of working together and hard work, and we all believe the same things, I feel like Saquon should have got paid first. That’s what I feel.”

Barkley was widely criticized throughout last spring after it reported his camp rejected “a three-year deal in the $13M per season range” at a time when teams around the NFL have devalued veteran running backs. He ultimately signed an adjusted franchise tag to report to training camp on time and said after Week 18 that he hopes general manager Joe Schoen will “get it over with” if Schoen plans to tag the 26-year-old again this offseason.

More recently, Barkley revealed in an interview that he can envision himself playing for another team assuming the Giants let him reach free agency in March. Tagging Barkley again reportedly would cost the club roughly $12.1M for 2024 unless he signed an extension before the summer deadline for such deals.

As for Jones, the Giants can escape his contract as soon as after the 2024 season but first will wait to see how he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered on Nov. 5. It remains to be seen if Jones will have Barkley in his backfield this coming fall, but it’s worth noting the two are close friends.