The Philadelphia Eagles would not have been able to call themselves Super Bowl champions without the phenomenal performance of running back Saquon Barkley. The fact they pilfered him away from the rival New York Giants makes this even better for an Eagles team poised to dominate the division for years to come.
While losing Barkley would be brutal no matter the time and place, the Giants voluntarily put themselves on display for the world to see when free agency planning was taking place. New York's decision to not pay Barkley and commit to $40 million starting quarterback Daniel Jones was the focal point of Hard Knocks' new offseason variant.
While this certainly made for some very entertaining television, everyone connected to the Giants would rather that footage be scrubbed from everyone's collective memory. Losing Barkley in front of millions of viewers was so toxic for the Giants that it may have singlehandedly killed the entire show.
Giants reporter Tom Rock is reporting that the offseason Hard Knocks show could be in jeopardy in 2025 due to a lack of interest from teams. The Barkley mistake was so bad it may end up getting rid of an entire HBO program, which shows how titanic of a goof it was.
Eagles' Saquon Barkley success could lead to Hard Knocks cancellation
The Giants went 3-13 in games Jones started after he signed that contract, which is now regarded as one of the worst in NFL history. Jones threw just 10 touchdown passes and went almost a full calendar year without throwing a touchdown pass at home. Jones was released and signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Barkley, meanwhile, ran for over 2,000 yards in just 16 games and could have had a shot at breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record if they didn't rest him in the final game of the season. Barkley broke Terrell Davis' old record for most rushing yards in a season, regular season and playoffs included.
With Joe Schoen on thin ice already and John Mara not viewed in the best light by fans, those clips of them defaming Barkley will stick with that duo for the rest of their careers in the NFL. One wonders as to why any other teams or executives would willingly set themselves up to be tarred and feathered when they make a mistake.
Barkley's debut season with the Eagles helped make Jalen Hurts a champion, may have started the downward slide in the Kansas City Chiefs' once impregnable dynasty, and sent the Giants on a path to some abhorrent football. No GM wants to be the next Joe Schoen.
