It’s no secret that Saquon Barkley wanted to finish his career with the Giants. Hence during his six-year stint for the New York-based team, the player gave his all becoming one of the best RBs in the league. But the relationship turned sour when Mara & Co. franchise tagged him instead of handing out a deserving contract extension. The rest as they say is history.
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The latest episode of Hard Knocks showed real-time footage of John Mara & Co’s reaction when reality dawned on them of Barkley’s exit. Owner John Mara was visibly upset and could not come to terms with the fact that Barkley was set to sign for the Eagles of all the teams. Mara told GM Schoen & Co. that he would lose his sleep if Barkley signed for the Eagles as he is the biggest star of their team.
“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that… He’s the most popular player we have BY FAR.”
While Giants fans might feel a sense of relatability from the episode, it’s ironic to see Schoen and the team’s sad reactions. If the team valued Barkley so much that the owners are losing their sleep with his exit, logic dictates that the player should have been retained. Regardless, what’s done is done.
The Giants after a dismal last season and having lost their star player don’t seem to have much hope from this season. But the entertainment won’t stop for the Giants faithful as the Hard Knocks series for the first time will fully be focusing on the New York Giants.
First Hard Knocks For Giants in Legendary History
Back in 2010, John Mara was so sure that he would never allow cameras inside the Giants facility that he went on to declare that it would only happen “when I’m next to my father in the Gates of Heaven cemetery.” Since then, a lot has changed and one among them is the fact that John Mara has let cameras inside the Giants compound. But there is a catch.
Generally, Hard Knocks focuses on training footage, dressing room chatter, and fieldside coverage among others, for the first time this year, Hard Knocks will be focusing solely on the offseason. And for this unique prospectus, Mara’s Giants are the perfect fit with major storylines including Barkley and Xavier McKinney’s free agency, Brian Burns trade, and Malik Nabers draft among others.
As per official sources, “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” will be a five-episode affair and will be streaming on Max. With the first few episodes proving to be really spicy, it will be interesting to see what else is in store as we head to the end of the series.
