'It saved me': Saquon Barkley feels infamous 'Hard Knocks' clip shows him in a positive light

Everyone has seen the videos of the New York Giants' front office deliberating on whether to bring Saquon Barkley back for another season. Conversations between GM Joe Schoen, owner John Mara and the rest of the front office would've been private under normal circumstances. However, due to HBO's "Hard Knocks" documenting the Giants' 2024 offseason, their decision to let Barkley walk was broadcasted to everyone.

Hindsight is 20/20, but their choice was clearly the wrong one. Barkley signed with the Eagles and had one of the best years for a running back in NFL history. During an appearance with Barstool Sports' "Pardon my Take", Barkley discussed the famous clips of the Giants' front office.

"It's kind of on them," Barkley said. "When you look at it from the inside, they have to sign off on that and make the decision for that clip to go out there. And that's what they did."

The fact people got a deeper look into the Giants' decision-making process made the whole thing worse. Yes, there still would've been backlash for letting Barkley walk and go to a rival. But at every turn, the Giants showed an unwillingness to pay the running back. Part of that was because they had just signed Daniel Jones to a massive extension in 2023, which made their cap decisions tougher, as Schoen pointed out on Hard Knocks.

Jones was cut by the Giants in November, adding insult to injury. Every time Barkley had a good game last season (which was often), the clips would resurface, in an effort to dunk on the Giants. 

Despite what the public might think, Barkley still doesn't have any ill will towards the organization. 

"It's funny, because you would think from social media, like there's this big beef with me, Joe Schoen and the Giants," Barkley said. "In reality, I still talk to them here and there. I got to see all of them before the last game of the year last season, where I didn't end up playing, but to see them and they were super happy for me to rush for 2,000 yards the week prior.

"It's a business. The NFL is a weird business. I'm not a fan of that side of it, when it comes to the money side. But these guys were a big reason why I was able to get back, like before I had an ACL and ankle injury, and Dave and all those guys came in, believed in me and trusted me and helped me get my swagger back. They're a big reason why you see the type of player I am now."

Even with his flowery words for the Giants' organization, Barkley was satisfied with how the clip made him look. He didn't want to be looked as someone who backstabbed the Giants.

"I'm kind of happy. Like, it saved me,"  Barkley said. "You have fans that are just blinded by it and are just like, 'oh he just left.' You got to see that we had a negotiating process...They gave me an opportunity to hit the open market, which was the right thing to do by the Giants. A lot of people don't talk about that."

Barkley said ending up in Philly was the "best thing that's ever happened to him." Ironically, he said he used to hate the Eagles. Barkley explained that two offseasons ago, the Giants would break down with "F the Eagles" after Philly knocked New York out of the playoffs in the Divisional Round. The Eagles beat the Giants three times that season, and Barkley said they saw them as the team to beat. 

As it turned out, Barkley joined that team a year later when he hit the open market in free agency. Barkley weighed his options, making pros and cons for every possible destination. The only con for Philly was the possible backlash he'd receive for leaving New York and signing with a direct rival. However, Barkley didn't want to make a decision based on what people thought, so he chose the Eagles.

"It's not about who won. It doesn't go like that with just one year," Barkley said. "For me coming here, I wanted to expand my legacy, because I feel like the player I want to be is still out there."