EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Saquon Barkley era in New York never had a chance.
It was doomed from the moment former New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman drafted the running back out of Penn State with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
"He was touched by the hand of God, frankly," Gettleman said immediately after the pick was made.
Gettleman then described him as a generational talent. Barkley himself backed up those expectations by immediately declaring himself "more than a running back."
But Barkley was thrust into a bad situation while burdened with expectations that were almost impossible to meet.