The third episode of the New York Giants Hard Knocks episode is in the books, and it was yet another dramatic-filled one. Heading into this episode, Giants fans were wondering what exactly happened between the Giants and running back Saquon Barkley, as well as how they were going to go about their draft selection.
The trailer of the third episode also most notably saw Giants co-owner John Mara practically imploring general manager Joe Schoen to do whatever it takes to bring back Barkley. It was a very intense episode filled with many moments that probably not many thought were going to make air.
Did Brian Daboll Want Jayden Daniels?
I’m not sure many Giants fans saw this one coming on this Hard Knocks episode. While the Giants reportedly tried to trade up to potentially draft a quarterback, I don’t think former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was someone on their radar. But think again.
This episode saw head coach Brian Daboll during a meeting with his coaching staff and front office personnel talking about possibly trading up. And when Schoen talked about their meeting with the former Heisman Award winner and if it was worth trading up and drafting him, the head coach said bluntly, “Daniels? I would.” That was quite an interesting moment.
The fact that Daboll said he would have wanted the Giants to trade up and potentially draft a quarterback like Daniels meant that he was willing to move on from current quarterback Daniel Jones. Of course, the Giants didn’t end up drafting Daniels as he went second overall to the Washington Commanders, but this was still a very intriguing part of Hard Knocks.
This moment from the episode also shows that the Giants are counting on Jones to be healthy for the entirety of the 2024 season after playing in just six games last season.
John Mara Knew Saquon’s Importance To The Giants
This episode of Hard Knocks also saw John Mara meeting with the Giants’ front office personnel including Schoen to talk about Saquon’s future with the New York Giants as at the time, it was totally up in the air. Mara made it very well known that if Barkley left New York to play elsewhere, especially the Philadelphia Eagles, it would be a tough pill to swallow.
In this Hard Knocks episode, Mara even went as far as saying,
“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.”
So it is safe to say that Mara knew just how important it was for the Giants to try and do everything in their power to bring back Saquon Barkley. This Hard Knocks episode also saw the Giants offering Barkley a contract after all which was a three-year, $37.5 million deal with $25 million of it guaranteed.
But as we all saw, the running back ended up going to the Eagles for the same contract the Giants offered but with $26 million guaranteed. Maybe it was about money for Barkley or maybe he just wanted a change of scenery. Regardless, the Giants owner knew how vital Barkley was to the Giants.
Throughout his tenure with the Giants when he entered the league in 2018, Barkley became the face of the franchise and that’s what Mara saw in him. This was a major takeaway from this Hard Knocks episode and a shocking revelation that the Giants failed to keep their franchise player. The fact that Barkley went to a division rival made it significantly tougher.
