On July 2, the first episode of “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” debuted on HBO, and it seemed to raise a lot of questions. While the majority of the episode was focused around the Giants finding a new defensive coordinator, and trying to trade for star edge rusher Brian Burns, there was also a large portion focused around “what to do” with running back Saquon Barkley. With Barkley coming out on social media telling his side of the story, and Joe Schoen seeming to tell a different one, one begs to ask the question:

What happened between Giants General Manager Joe Schoen and Saquon Barkley?

To tell the full story, one must go all the way back to the end of the 2022 season; Schoen’s first year with the Giants. New York had just made it to the divisional round in the playoffs, and Saquon Barkley was coming off one of his best seasons as a Giant. During the entirety of the regular season, he was able to stay healthy, a huge positive for a running back who has been riddled with injuries during his tenure on the team, and put up 1,312 rushing yards to go along with 10 touchdowns. Not to mention that he was also a key component in the Giants’ wild card victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The unfortunate news about New York’s “Cinderella year” in 2022, was that they were going to have to throw a lot of money Barkley’s way, as he was due for another contract that offseason.

Joe Schoen went to Barkley immediately after the season ended and allegedly offered him a multi-year contract, worth a little over $13 million per year, according to NBC Sports. That would also be close to $20 million guaranteed, which would put him in the top five for the highest paid running backs in the NFL. However, Barkley turned that deal down as it wasn’t the guaranteed money that he was looking for. It was also “reported” that Schoen offered him a deal in the $30 million range, which he also declined. That was not confirmed by Schoen, Barkley, or Barkley’s agent, which makes the report sound not credible.

It must also be noted that at the same time that Schoen was trying to get something done with Barkley, New York’s quarterback, Daniel Jones, was also due for another contract in the same offseason. Jones was coming off one of, if not his best, season with the Giants, where he threw for 3,205 yards, rushed for 708 yards, and had 22 total touchdowns. He was also arguably more important than Saquon Barkley in the back half of the 2022 season and their playoff win against the Vikings.

Now hard-pressed on time to get a deal done before the franchise tag deadline on Mar. 7, 2023, New York had to make a big decision.

Were they going to give Barkley the huge deal that he wanted? Or were they going to throw all of their money at Daniel Jones, and franchise tag Barkley?

Barring a “lose-lose” situation in which Barkley declines another contract offer, and they have to use the franchise tag on Jones, they tagged the running back; and then proceeded to pay Daniel Jones $160 million ($82 million guaranteed). It would be a “lose-lose” due to the fact that Barkley wouldn’t be getting the contract that he wants, and would go on to test free agency, while Jones would play one year for $32.4 million, and in the rare case that he went on to have another great year, the Giants’ would be giving him a contract upwards up $50 million. So when it came to giving a quarterback who finally found success under one season with a brand-new head coach, or a running back who has had multiple lower body injuries a new contract, Joe Schoen did what 31 other general managers would’ve done as well.

However, the drama and dilemma about how to handle Barkley’s situation didn’t end there. Over the next couple of months, following Barkley getting the franchise tag put on him, he made it very clear that he was not happy about it. While refusing to sign the tag, which would be $10 million for the running back position, Barkley spoke in multiple interviews about how he wanted a multi-year contract with the Giants; which was not possible if he signed. In one of the interviews in early July 2023, Barkley said the following:

If he refused to sign the tag by the start of Week 1, Barkley would only have one option; to not play during the regular season. That’s what he was trying to get across on the Money Matters Podcast, as he was saying that his “real worth” would be shown if he sat out for the season, and everyone watched what the Giants’ offense looked like. His only other option would be if he signed the franchise tag with New York and then another team traded for him, which didn’t seem like a popular idea for too many teams at that time. Luckily, Barkley realized that sitting out for a year would be detrimental to his career, and that not many teams were willing to trade draft picks for him, so on Jul. 25, 2023, he officially signed his tag with the Giants. In addition, Joe Schoen, added in a couple of hundred thousand dollars in incentives to make the tag worth $11 million for the one year that Barkley signed with the team.

In this case:

Joe Schoen - 1

Saquon Barkley - 0

Barkley went on to have a pretty good, 2023-24 regular season, putting up 962 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also missed three weeks of football very early in the season, with another ankle injury; something that he has dealt with numerous times. Halfway through the season, the Giants also had another opportunity to try and trade away their star running back, but yet again nobody wanted to pay the steep price of draft picks, and New York had to retain him. In the end, the New York Giants failed to meet their expectations and ended the season with a record of 6-11. After the final game of the season, Week 18, Joe Schoen had another decision to make; will he pay Barkley this time around?

Now, taking a look at the season that Barkley just played, Schoen was not very impressed by the 26-year-old. The team’s record wasn’t great, and Barkley wasn’t a huge difference maker during a majority of the games as well; which could also be blamed on the Giants’ 32nd ranked offensive line (dead last in the NFL). However, Schoen had a different vision for the Giants, and one where Barkley was not on the team. He didn’t want to use the franchise tag on Barkley because that would cause another offseason full of drama, but he also didn’t want to offer Barkley a small contract, due to the fact that it might come off as “disrespectful”. That is something that Schoen talked about on episode one of “Hard Knocks”. Just to quote the general manager again, Schoen said the following during the episode as well:

While New York didn’t want to keep him, it certainly sounds like they at least wanted an answer back from Barkley about what other teams are offering him; at least based on what Joe Schoen says in the “Hard Knocks” trailer. While details haven’t been announced, and new episodes are still waiting to be released, it seems as though Barkley went a different route. It is reported that Barkley had other offers from teams like the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers, but on Mar. 11, 2024, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles; a division rival of the Giants. That includes $26 million fully guaranteed; which is a lot more money than the Giants were willing to give him.

Now, of course Giants fans’ were extremely disappointed in Barkley’s decision to go to the Eagles in free agency, but it would hard for any player at the running back position to decline that amount of money for "loyalty reasons”. Barkley did say multiple times that he “wants to be a Giant for life”, but that went way out the door. After Barkley had a lot of heated back and forth conversations with fans and former Giants running back, Tiki Barber, on X, tensions between the two sides are still at an all-time high; even now in July. Regardless of how mad fans are, Barkley got the money that he wanted, and he has more of a chance to win a ring; which is what any player wants in the NFL.

In this case:

Joe Schoen - 1

Saquon Barkley - 1

The Giants, and Joe Schoen, went in the direction of “running back by committee”. They signed veteran Devin Singletary from the Houston Texans in free agency for $16.5 million over 3 years, which proved to be a much cheaper option than Barkley. They even drafted Tyrone Tracy Jr. out of Purdue in the fifth round to be a receiving option in the backfield, and to come in on important downs. New York invested the money that could’ve gone to Barkley, into a brand new offensive line. Hopefully, they can finally give Daniel Jones the protection that he has never had, and the sixth year quarterback can, once and for all, prove what he can do.

The Eagles and Giants have to play each other twice this season, as that is what division rivals do, while Barkley has the opportunity to play New York six times over the course of his Philadelphia career. Will the running back get revenge over the team that refused to pay him or accept how important he was? Or will Joe Schoen’s ideology of not paying an injured running back top money, and investing in more important positions, prove to be a difference maker? It’s all a matter of which side is going to look better when it’s all said and done.

These next couple of “Hard Knocks” episodes should be able to tell the full story of what happened, and everyone is waiting very anxiously.