We're starting to get some more clarity on what exactly happened between the NY Giants and running back Saquon Barkley. Since the moment he signed with the Eagles, people in New York and New Jersey have been bashing him for joining NY's NFC East rival. For a while, though, Barkley has said that Joe Schoen never put an initial offer on the table this past winter.
As it turns out, that's actually what happened. Episode 2 of Hard Knocks just dropped and one of the most dramatic scenes was the phone call where Schoen indeed told Barkley that he wasn't going to franchise tag him and that he'd let him test the market to see what he could get.
Schoen asked Barkley for his word that he'd come back to him with his best offer before signing with someone else. While we don't know how the final conversation between the two sides went (maybe that'll come in Episode 3!), we do know that Saquon wanted to stay put. It just wasn't meant to be:
Here's the phone call between #Giants GM Joe Schoen and Saquon Barkley when he was told he would be allowed to become a free agent.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 10, 2024
Schoen asked Barkley if he could get his word on circling back to them during the process.
This is tremendous access.pic.twitter.com/wxt19WoY3J
Saquon Barkley told Joe Schoen he wanted to return to the NY Giants
Prior to Schoen's conversation with Barkley, he spoke with agent Ed Berry. During that convo, you could tell just how torn Schoen was on what to do with the playmaker. He didn't want to disrespect him with a low offer - he even admitted to Berry that he wasn't sure what would be the right move to make.
Because of that, Schoen wanted to let Barkley test the market and let the league decide what his number would be. In the teaser for the next episode, John Mara once again said he'd have an issue seeing Barkley play for another team, while Schoen mentioned something about if he offered a three-year, $37.5 million deal with $25 million guaranteed, Barkley would still be in town.
However, was that potential contract idea thrown out by Schoen before Saquon signed with Philly, or after? Our gut tells us it came after, but we'll find out for sure soon enough. Regardless of that, this access Hard Knocks is providing is unreal. That clip above of Schoen and Barkley is wild to see. It just goes to show how tough this was for all of the parties involved, especially now that we know Barkley ended up leaving to play for Philly.