Saquon Barkley Says Giants Tenure Was ‘Over’ After Phone Call With GM in Viral Video

Saquon Barkley knew the exact moment his New York Giants tenure was over, and so now does the rest of the world after his conversation with GM Joe Schoen was included in HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Barkley told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that he felt the Giants didn’t want him back after Schoen told him to explore the free-agent market this spring.

The tenor of the conversation that played out between Barkley and Schoen was abundantly clear from the broadcast. Schoen was seemingly only willing to bring Barkley back on his terms, while the Pro Bowl running back indicated he wanted to remain with the Giants.

“I think, just mulling over this, the right thing to do is let you test the market and see what your value is. I don’t want to do the franchise thing, or all that again, I don’t want to go through that, we’ve both been through that,” Schoen said during their conversation. “If you really want to be a Giant for life and you’re interested in staying here and coming back, just see what your market is and have Ed come back to us and we’ll see if we can come to an agreement.”

Schoen did ask whether Barkley would allow the Giants to match any offer, and it’s unclear if that wound up happening. Barkley signed a three-year, $37.8 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.

Given Schoen’s tone when talking to Barkley, it would be hard to blame him for wanting to leave. The Penn State product has been the Giants’ best offensive player since his arrival in 2018, often excelling despite poor quarterback play and a shaky offensive line. Barkley struggled a bit in 2023, but it’s hard to fault him given what surrounded him.

The Eagles offered a home-run alternative, as they’re equipped with an elite offensive line and one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. Barkley will likely see the largest holes of his NFL career next season.

That alone should have been enough for him to exit New York, especially given Schoen’s hesitance to pay him like a franchise pillar.