Do some people owe former NY Giants running back Saquon Barkley an apology? It's looking that way. From the start, Barkley passionately said that he never landed a new offer from the Giants this offseason - the plan all along was for his reps to go back to Joe Schoen with his best one.
In the latest episode of Hard Knocks, that appears to have been the case. In one of the main clips going viral, Schoen is on the phone with Ed Berry, Barkley's agent, and they're discussing what may or may not be able to get done. Berry presents Schoen with an offer, which would be a three-year deal with an average of $12.5 million per year ($37.5 million) and $25 million guaranteed.
In the video below, you can hear Schoen asking Berry if they were to put that money on the table, would No. 26 be a Giant? Schoen then said that might be too rich for him on Saquon before hanging up and then relaying the message to John Mara:
Schoen didnt offer Saquon the deal they showed in the EP03 trailer. Hard Knocks ran the okie doke on us.
— awthentik (@awthentik) July 17, 2024
His agent also said that if the Giants matched, there wasn't a guarantee he would sign with New York. #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/PlQOTZxmxI
Hard Knocks provided NY Giants fans with Saquon Barkley closure
While speaking with Mara, Schoen seemed a bit frustrated with Berry. Schoen didn't like the fact that Berry was hesitant that Barkley would for sure accept a deal if the Giants matched his top offer. After all that, Barkley signed with the Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.
Mara looked like he was about to faint when he found out Barkley was headed to the Eagles, but Schoen seemed adamant in using that money on other ways to improve the team. He did just that by signing stud linemen Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor, while also completing the blockbuster deal for Brian Burns. It wasn't easy, but Schoen finally realized Barkley would be too much and the G-Men had to be 'out' on trying to make something work.
The #Giants never made a final offer to Saquon Barkley after finding out he was out of their price range.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 17, 2024
GM Joe Schoen talking to the agent: “We’re out. … Is it in the division? I’m trying to prepare myself mentally.”pic.twitter.com/LH278TBfR6
We knew the Saquon business was going to be a major part of Hard Knocks, but we've finally gotten some clarity on things. On one side, yes, the Giants never extended a new offer to Barkley this offseason. At the same time, it wasn't guaranteed he'd be with Big Blue in 2024 and beyond even if Schoen ponied up and matched his best deal.
While people will still talk about this for a while, the good news is camp is around the corner for the Giants and people can shift their focus to the playmakers who are in town, while Barkley can get ready for life in Philly with his new team.