The big distraction during the New York Giants’ offseason and one of the lead stories of their ‘Hard Knocks’ appearance was the denouement of the Saquon Barkley contract situation that had been festering for two years. It began during the bye week in 2022, when GM Joe Schoen reportedly offered Barkley a $12.5M per year contract that Barkley and his agent turned down. One franchise tag, several rumored contract offers, and much finger-pointing later, Schoen decided to let Barkley walk.
Barkley promptly signed with the [insert teeth gnashing sound here] Philadelphia Eagles and in his first game in green rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pass for a third on national TV as the NFL world laughed at the Giants for letting him go.