Why didn't Giants re-sign Saquon Barkley? Revisiting 'Hard Knocks' phone call between RB and GM Joe Schoen

After ascending to stardom during his first six seasons with the New York Giants, former No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley moved on to join the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 offseason.

Barkley, 27, is one of the league’s most explosive playmakers in the prime of his career. Four years removed from a season-ending ACL injury, Barkley has been a star in Philadelphia’s midnight green, amassing 404 all-purpose yards and scoring five touchdowns through his first three games as an Eagle.

As potent as Barkley has been, New York’s decision to allow him to walk to a divisional rival becomes more head-scratching by the day. While fans would normally be left in the dark for such decisions, the Giants’ participation in HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” granted unprecedented access to the negotiations that resulted in Barkley’s departure.

Here is more on what led to the Giants allowing Barkley to walk in free agency.

MORE: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings | Week 4 NFL picks | Week 4 NFL picks against the spread

Why didn’t the Giants re-sign Saquon Barkley?

The Giants didn’t re-sign Barkley because they were unwilling to meet his asking price as a free agent.

As documented on the offseason edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” Giants GM Joe Schoen insisted that Barkley test the market before giving New York a chance to match the star RB’s best offer. After learning the asking price was too high, the Giants did not offer Barkley what he was set to earn from the Eagles.

Here’s more of the proceedings as they unfolded on the reality series.

“I’m torn, Ed, because I still think he can play, and I think he can help us,” Schoen said to Barkley’s agent, Ed Berry. “But I didn’t wanna comment on numbers. I don’t have a great idea where the market is. That’s why I’m gonna let the league tell him what it is and, hey, if you wanna come back and be a Giant, let’s try to find something that makes sense. If we’re close, then let’s have a conversation, because again, I do think he was our best offensive player.”

Here’s the phone call between #Giants GM Joe Schoen and Saquon Barkley when he was told he would be allowed to become a free agent.

Schoen asked Barkley if he could get his word on circling back to them during the process.

This is tremendous access.pic.twitter.com/wxt19WoY3J

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 10, 2024

Schoen shared similar messaging in conversation with Barkley.

“I think mulling over this, the right thing to do is let you test the market and see what your value is,” Schoen told Barkley. “I don’t wanna do the franchise (tag) thing again or all that stuff again. I don’t wanna go through that. We’ve both been through that.

“If you really wanna be a Giant for life, and you’re interested in staying here and coming back, just see what your market is, have Ed come back to us and we’ll see if we can come to an agreement.”

Barkley responded by saying “I mean, I already told you where I wanna be,” but his decision to sign with the Eagles shows that things clearly fell apart.

WEEK 4 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Saquon Barkley contract details

Barkley signed a three-year, $ 37.5 million contract with the Eagles at the beginning of free agency. The deal includes $ 26 million fully guaranteed and runs through the 2026 season.

Giants RB depth chart

In the wake of Barkley’s departure, the Giants pivoted to sign Devin Singletary as the franchise’s new feature back. Through three games, Singletary has racked up 255 all-purpose yards and rushed for two touchdowns.