Giants Called the Falcons About Bijan Robinson Before the Trade Deadline

The New York Giants called the Atlanta Falcons before Tuesday’s trade deadline to ask about Bijan Robinson, and the answer was no deal. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported the inquiry on Wednesday, saying the Giants were big-game hunting at running back but came away empty. Robinson, the NFL’s leading rusher, is going nowhere: he signed a three-year, $66.8 million extension in August, and the Giants hold only five picks in the 2027 draft.

What did the Giants actually do?

They rang Atlanta. Raanan disclosed the call on the Giants Nation Show podcast, telling listeners: “I even heard the Giants made a call on Bijan Robinson. That’s right, Bijan Robinson.” The call came before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, and the Giants made no trades in the week leading up to it, DAZN reports. What is not known is whether the Giants ever made an actual offer. NBC Sports reports there is no word on what New York was willing to give up, or whether the Falcons engaged at all or simply told the Giants they were not interested. The report is that the call happened, not that a deal was ever close.

Why did nothing happen?

Price and picks, in that order. The Falcons made a big investment in Robinson this offseason, signing him to the three-year, $66.8 million extension, and from all accounts they view him as one of the most important pieces of their franchise, NBC Sports reports. On the other side, the Giants were shopping with an almost empty wallet. DAZN reports New York holds five picks in the 2027 draft: its own first, second, third and sixth-rounders, plus a sixth from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that spent the deadline buying up defenders in the Jordan Davis trade and two more defensive additions. The fourth-rounder went to Cleveland and the seventh to Miami, in the trade-up for Malachi Fields and the Darren Waller deal, and the fifth went to Minnesota for J.J. McCarthy in late September, after Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury. Even if Robinson had been available, prising him away would have cost a haul the Giants do not have.

Who else were the Giants chasing?

The Robinson call was the boldest name on a long list. The Giants made a trade offer for Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor and then pulled it, theScore reports, and Raanan said they also enquired about defensive tackles Jeffery Simmons and DeForest Buckner, both of whom were traded elsewhere. DAZN reports they engaged the Tennessee Titans about running back Tony Pollard, and theScore reports they explored signing Kenneth Walker III in free agency and showed interest in drafting Jeremiyah Love. The pattern is the same in every case: the Giants identified the player they wanted and then found the price too high. Harbaugh said as much an hour before the deadline. “I’d be excited for the right guy,” he said. “My excitement level would be based on who the player is. You get the right player, then you’re really excited.” The Giants have been proactive in pursuing running back upgrades since hiring Harbaugh in January, theScore reports, and the deadline showed the intent even as it produced nothing. The one running back move that did happen at the deadline was Marvin Harrison Jr. going to Houston, and the Giants were not part of it.

How bad is the Giants’ running game?

Bad enough to explain why they called about the league’s leading rusher. DAZN reports the Giants have run for 897 yards at 3.9 yards per carry this season, a sharp drop from 2025, when they ranked fifth in the league with 129.1 rushing yards per game. Sunday’s 19-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles summed up the problem: 80 yards on 31 carries, with Devin Singletary carrying 21 times for 31 yards while Cam Skattebo sat out with a hamstring injury and Tyrone Tracy Jr. was on injured reserve. Robinson, by contrast, has rushed for 880 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry, theScore reports, and his 1,130 scrimmage yards through nine games rank second in the NFL behind only Jahmyr Gibbs. The gap between what the Giants have and what they called about is the whole story of their deadline.

What did Cam Skattebo say about all this?

He did not need replacing, in his words, and he gets his chance to prove it on Thursday. Skattebo is set to return against Washington, and he made it clear on Tuesday that he had heard the noise. “You’ve seen what I can do,” he said, via NJ.com. “When I come out, and I’m ready to play football, I can be one of the most dangerous backs in the league. Simple as that.” The second-year back has 418 yards on 98 carries this season, and ran for a career-high 124 yards in Week 7, the last time he played. He also admitted he understood why the Giants went looking. “I would be sceptical, too, if my running back was going for 60 yards a game and not really exploding out,” he added. “But I’m still getting comfortable, man. This is like my 13th game in the league.” The Giants are attempting to build an offensive identity centred on a powerful ground attack, theScore reports, and they are averaging 112.1 rushing yards per contest. Skattebo is the man they have to build it around now.

What happens next?

Thursday night, in a rematch with history. The Giants lead the NFC East at 5-2-1, and Week 10 brings Washington, the side they drew 27-27 with in Week 5 after letting the clock run out in overtime. Skattebo is expected to serve as the primary back, with Tracy and Singletary also playing significant roles, and McCarthy has played well enough to win his first two starts since arriving from Minnesota. NBC Sports notes the Robinson inquiry itself showed Harbaugh meant it when he said the Giants are trying to win now, not build for the future. The roster they have now is the roster they finish with: teams cannot trade again until the new league year begins on March 11, 2027, so Thursday is the first test of whether the back they already had was the answer all along.