HBO’s new offseason edition of “Hard Knocks” provided the first glimpse into the Giants, including some key interactions between the team’s front office and former Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
An 80-second trailer for the NFL documentary series released Tuesday showed general manager Joe Sean in his office on the phone with Barkley, who eventually became a free agent and joined the hated rival Eagles.
“Saquon, can you commit to me on that or are you not going to give us a chance?” Sean asked.
While the full context of the conversation is unclear, HBO cameras began following the Giants in January and have captured many of the big moments this offseason, including the NFL Scouting Combine, the 2024 NFL Draft and, of course, free agency.
Barkley, the Giants’ top pick in 2018, agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Eagles in March.
“The business side of it is ready,” Barkley said at his inaugural news conference in Philadelphia. “A lot of people have come to me over the last two years and said, [franchise-] “You can’t tag anyone or talk about contracts. That’s all done. The business side of it is done. We can keep the main thing the main thing, and that’s winning football games.”
Barkley, 27, will return to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 20, three months after his coverage with the Giants ends.
Elsewhere in the footage, quarterback Daniel Jones, who was given a four-year, $160 million contract extension by the Giants last offseason, spoke about his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in November.
“It’s been five months since my surgery and I’m still recovering,” the former first-round draft pick said. “I’ve had injuries before, but never anything like this.”
When Jones, 27, returns to the field, he will have a new addition in former LSU wide receiver Malik Neighbors, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“We’re not done yet. We’re still building our team,” head coach Brian Daboll said of the Giants, who surprisingly made it to the divisional round of the playoffs last year but finished 6-11 in the 2023 season.
Former Panthers edge rusher Brian Barnes was also among the Giants’ additions this offseason, and the process leading up to the blockbuster trade was filmed on “Hard Knocks.”
“What about Brian Burns? Have you considered Brian Burns?'” Sean said. “You’d have to trade two 2s and pay 28 million, 29 million.”
The Giants officially acquired Barnes, 26, from the Panthers in March, sending a 2024 second-round pick (39th overall) and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Carolina.
The team then signed the two-time Pro Bowl selection to a five-year, $150 million contract.
“I’m the G-Man,” Barnes shouted from the Giants’ facility after arriving in New York.
The five-part series “Hard Knocks: The New York Giants Offseason” will premiere on Tuesday, July 2nd and conclude on Tuesday, July 30th.
