“Hard Knocks” is back in New York once again.
The HBO staple’s documentary series kicked off a new offseason edition Tuesday night that will follow the Giants in action ahead of its regular programming this fall, with the series focusing on No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
While not much was revealed from the opening episode, Giants fans did get some inside information on how the team began negotiations to acquire pass rusher Brian Barnes and how they began negotiations to split the contract of longtime running back Saquon Barkley.
Early trade talks with Barnes
The Giants acquired Barnes in a trade with the Carolina Panthers last offseason, which apparently began at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, in February.
General manager Joe Sean, the subject of this episode, was initially only half-joking when he asked fellow general managers if anyone would be willing to trade up for the Giants’ sixth overall pick in the draft, but eventually Panthers general manager Dan Morgan made an offer to acquire Barnes.
“Yeah!” Sean replied.
It took a while, but the Panthers eventually sent Barnes to the Giants in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a fifth-round pick. Barnes would go on to sign a five-year, $150 million contract with the Giants and make a big impact at a position where the franchise clearly needed help, which was one of Shawn’s big early requests during Tuesday night’s episode.
Hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
What about Saquon Barkley?
While there weren’t many details Tuesday night about Coach Sean’s offseason preparations after the team finished 6-11 last year or quarterback Daniel Jones’ recovery from an ACL injury, there were plenty of hints about the team’s decision to release star running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason after failing to get a long-term extension with the Giants. Barkley played last season on the franchise tag, but the two sides were unable to come to terms on a deal that would keep him in New York long-term. Barkley rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns last season, sixth-most in the league.
The episode ended with a front-office debate about which direction to take the Giants’ offense — Sean seemed adamant about keeping Jones above all else and waiting for a cheaper running back down the line — but the group remained deadlocked about how to end Barkley’s time in New York.
We know the team ultimately signed Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million contract, but the rest of this summer’s season of “Hard Knocks” will surely feature Barkley’s departure from the franchise.
