iMar 14, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley gestures during a press conference after signing with the team. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Philadelphia Eagles-Saquon Barkley Press Conference
(East Rutherford, NJ) – The New York Giants are the focus of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this season, and their biggest offseason story surrounds the man who won’t be playing for the Big Blue this fall.
Saquon Barkley broke the hearts of many fans when he signed with the bitter rival Philadelphia Eagles for 3 years, $37.75 million at the start of free agency.
Most thought that the Giants didn’t care to throw Barkley an offer, yet a behind-the-scenes look shows that they might have been giving the former first round pick the liberty to follow through on wanting to be with the G-men for life.
Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen addressed the impending free agency on a phone call with Barkley as follows. “Just mulling over this, the right thing to do is let you test the market to see what your value is. I don’t want to do the franchise [tag] thing or all that stuff again…If you really want to be a Giant for life and you’re interested in coming back, see what your market is and have Ed [Berry] come back to us and we’ll see if we can come to an agreement.”
Saquon was thankful for the opportunity to test his value, but when Schoen asked if the Giants would also have the chance to make an offer before Barkley made a decision, he simply said “I mean, I already told you where I want to be.”
Schoen also added that he did not make Barkley an offer prior to free agency because he did not want to lowball the back in a way that would be received as disrespectful.
The implication here is that Barkley wanted to stay in New York, and if the Giants put together a competitive offer he would be returning. Future episodes may shed light on whether or not Saquon did in fact circle back with his former team, or if his move to Philly was inevitable.
