Giants owner had blunt message to GM about Saquon Barkley

Dec 29, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants president and chief executive officer John Mara holds a press conference introducing New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman (not pictured) at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants owner John Mara may have had a few sleepless nights this offseason.

The latest episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which aired on Tuesday night, featured a conversation that Mara and Giants general manager Joe Schoen had earlier this offseason. Saquon Barkley was a free agent at the time, and Mara was asking for an update on where things stand with the star running back.

Schoen told Mara that the GM had just received a text message telling him the Chicago Bears were showing interest in Barkley just to drive the price up. The person who texted Schoen also claimed the Philadelphia Eagles were “out” on Barkley. Mara’s response to that was that he would have trouble sleeping if Barkley signed with the Eagles.

“I’m gonna have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” Mara said. As I’ve told you, just being out … I’ve been around enough players. He’s the most popular player we have by far.”

#Giants owner John Mara on Saquon Barkley potentially getting interest from the Eagles and Bears:

"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."pic.twitter.com/T0SJDIyHZH

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 17, 2024

Barkley, of course, ended up signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles.

Mara’s remarks were textbook owner speak, as he openly admitted he was more concerned about the popularity of the player than building the best roster possible. Still, you can understand why he did not want his best player to sign with a division rival, which is exactly what happened.

The decision to let Barkley walk will ultimately rest with Schoen. The GM explained his rationale in another video from “Hard Knocks” that went viral.

If the Giants miss the playoffs again and Barkley helps the Eagles win games, Mara is not going to be happy.