New York Giants on 'Hard Knocks': Team doubles down on Daniel Jones over Saquon Barkley
The inaugural episode "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" has arrived!
The Giants, entering their 100th NFL season, are featured in the first-ever edition of this new version of the hit HBO show that for a long stretch would only cover a team during training camp leading up to the regular season.
Now, we get a behind-the-scenes look following the Giants' directly after the conclusion of a 6-11 season as they prepare for a make-or-break 2024 campaign with QB Daniel Jones, who played in only six games last season.
Here are our takeaways after the first episode of "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants":
Opening discussion on Saquon Barkley decision
It started on Jan. 11 in a meeting with general manager Joe Schoen, assistant general manager Brandon Brown leading the way with the scouting department and front office members on breaking down the running back market with the Saquon Barkley contract situation still in flux.
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"As we keep going through our needs (cornerback, rusher and a No. 1 WR) that running back keeps going down," said Schoen.
This is the first acknowledgement that fans get of Schoen realizing that the former offensive rookie of the year might not be in the cards for next season and beyond.
Daniel Jones saga
After the initial Barkley conversation, we head directly to the Giants' facility where we follow along with the recovery of Jones from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Schoen stated that "the reality is, three serious injuries in two years, we need to protect ourselves. He (Jones) didn't have much of a chance this year."
He added that Jones is still under contract for three more years and wasn't willing to give up on the former No. 6 overall pick just yet.
Jones now takes up 20 percent of the current cap space and is looking to rebound and lead a Giants' offense that scored only 266 points last season, the organization's fewest amount since 1979.
Defensive coordinator search
We get our first intro to head coach Brian Daboll, as he and Schoen break down the stats of new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen rushing defense when he was the DC for the Tennessee Titans from 2021-23.
Bowen, 37, then broke down his scheme, terminology that he will now introduce to a Giants defense that gave up the seventh-most points per game last season at 23.9 PPG.
When it came to getting defensive players, the new DC had a simple message: "go get them".
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Joe Schoen's Senior Bowl conversation with Dan Morgan
The clip that hit social media hours leading up to the first episode finally arrives, with what appears to be the initial conversation between good friends Schoen and Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, on linebacker Brian Burns.
This ultimately is the start of the dialogue between the two GMs that will get a deal done to send Burns and a 2024 fifth round pick to the G-Men in exchange for a second round and fifth-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft and a conditional fifth-round choice in 2025.
We'll undoubtedly know more likely in the next episode or two about how exactly the trade goes down, including the Giants giving the 26-year-old pass rusher a five-year, $141 million contract with $76.5 fully guaranteed upon trading for him on March 11.
The end of the Saquon Barkley era
The episode circles back to Feb. 13 about what to do about Barkley with time ticking down and a decision looming over the No. 2 overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft.
It begins with Schoen having an intriguing convo with John Mara, the current president and CEO of the Giants, about the future of the now former star running back.
"In a perfect world I'd like to have him (Barkley) back," said Mara. "Until we can prove we can have a decent offense without him."
Schoen followed up with "Daniel's making a lot of money, we have to figure out if he's the guy. We have to protect him and put resources there."
It became apparent more than ever during a meeting on Feb. 16, less than two weeks out from the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, that Barkley wouldn't be back for Big Blue.
"We have to upgrade the offensive line. You're paying the guy (Jones) $40 million. It's not to hand the ball off to a $12 million (running) back," Schoen uttered with fellow front office members.
"My plan is to address the offensive line at some point in free agency. We're sitting at six and there's a chance there's an offensive weapon there. This is the year for Daniel. The plan all along was to give him a couple years. Is he our guy for the next 10 years or do we have to pivot and find somebody else?"