Philadelphia Eagles Running back Saquon Barkley had no issues with his phone call with New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, which appeared on HBO's “Hard Knocks” despite not knowing it was being recorded at the time.
But Barkley seemed to have a problem with the way the negotiations were portrayed in the media.
During his appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday, Barkley said he didn't find his performance in the Giants' “Hard Knocks” season problematic. He said his problem was “last year,” when details of the negotiations were leaked to the media.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“There were numbers coming out like, 'Saquon rejected this and Saquon rejected that,' and some of the numbers were correct, but they were giving you some truth, but not the whole truth, just the truth to spin it and make a certain person look bad,” he said.
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Barkley hinted at his suspicions about who might have leaked the information, without naming anyone specifically.
“If you and I are having this conversation and we're talking about numbers and it turns out that this number was said and it was just you and I having this conversation and it's not me who said it, I know that it definitely came from you.”
In addition to the leaks, Barkley revealed that despite what was reported at the time, The giants They were never real contenders in his eyes once he hit free agency.
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 27, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
GIANTS GM ASKS SAQUON BARKLEY TO GIVE TEAM FINAL CALL IN FREE AGENCY, AS SHOWED ON HBO'S 'HARD KNOCKS'
“For me it was weird, I guess, because a lot of it had to do with me,” she said. “I felt like, 'Okay, my name was just being used because, actually, it was like I had a phone call with Joe, which was the phone call that was made at the time.'” [the episode]. And my agent probably talked to him a couple of times. But from this side — in my life, in reality — it was like the Giants were never really in play the second time I entered negotiations or hit free agency when they could have been all along.
The phone call Barkley referenced was the infamous call in which Schoen informed the veteran running back that the Giants were allowing him to test free agency with the promise that he would contact them if he had an offer.
“Can you give me your word or you're not going to give us a chance?” Schoen asked Barkley over the phone.
Barkley responded: “What do you mean by turning around?” “I mean, I already told you where I want to be, so…”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley leaves the field after a win against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 7, 2024, at Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
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Barkley added that he had no problem with the call airing, but he found out from the show's trailer that it was included in the season.
“It didn't bother me,” he said. “It's part of the business.”
Barkley will return to MetLife Stadium for the first time since joining the division rival when the Giants host the Eagles on Oct. 20.
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