Secrets of Saquon Barkley's departure from the Giants to the Eagles uncovered in Hard Knocks

Saquon Barkley‘s time in New York came to a close when he left the Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles on March 13 but what were the crucial events leading up to his departure to Pennsylvania?

It’s clear that the Giants didn’t want to let their star running back leave, with their franchise owner especially believing him to be their most popular player and in HBO’s Hard Knocks show, they’re immediately on the ball with his agent by straight-up asking him to name the price.

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Massive player and coach brawl erupts at New York Giants training camp

And it’s a hefty one too. To keep Barkley with the Giants, they would have needed to find $12.5m per year with a three-year contract and $25m of the total $37.5m paid in guarantees so General Manager Joe Schoen immediately contacts the owner.

As they wait for John Mara to arrive, Schoen and his coaching team continue to discuss other options with several names floating up such as Tyrod Taylor, Jon Runyan, Robert Hunt, Jermaine Eluemunor and Gardner Minshew, Drew Lock and Sam Darnold.

They also talk about D’Andre Swift, although the 25-year-old would go on to sign with the Chicago Bears after a strong season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023/24 and that’s when Mara arrives.

“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philly, I’ll tell you that,” Mara tells his colleagues, as per HBO. “As I’ve told you, I’ve been around enough players but he’s the most popular player we have – by far.”

But it’s clear that the Giants can’t match the pockets of the Eagles, who lay down a $37.75m offer with $26m guaranteed and without anything to say, Mara simply adds, “Alright,” and the rest, as they say, is history.

Giants spend big on Brian Burns

One of the players that will be heading to the MetLife Stadium, which will host the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in soccer, is Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers and he was far from cheap too.

The edge rusher is on a five-year $141m deal with the linebacker receiving a minimum of $87.5m in guarantee and Schoen was quick to inform his defensive coordinator that the budget there has been soundly exhausted.

“That’s probably all you’re getting,” Schoen tells Shane Bowen, so we will see if the Giants can tighten up on the defense to improve their .353 record that saw them leak 407 points against in 2023/24.