Once again, Hard Knocks is back in New York.
The classic HBO documentary series kicked off its new offseason version of the show on Tuesday night, where it will be following around the Giants in the lead-up to the traditional version of the show this fall. That series will feature No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
There wasnt a lot that came out of the opening episode, but Giants fans did get an inside look at how the team started negotiations to land pass rusher Brian Burns and how they started talks to split with longtime running back Saquon Barkley.
The Giants traded for Burns this past offseason in a deal with the Carolina Panthers which is something that apparently started way back in February at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
General manager Joe Schoen, who was the main character of the episode, started off asking fellow general managers if anyone had any interest in trading up for the Giants No. 6 overall pick in the draft, though he was half-kidding as he did so. Eventually, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan piped up with an offer for Burns.
Ohhh! Schoen replied.
How did the trade for @Fire_Burns99 happen? It all started with this conversation… #HardKnocks Offseason with the @Giants premieres tonight at 9pm ET on @StreamOnMax. #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/qF76yHv1Fe
NFL (@NFL) July 2, 2024
Though it took some time, the Panthers eventually sent Burns to the Giants in exchange for a second- and fifth-round draft pick. Burns then signed a five-year, $150 million deal with the Giants, where hell now make a huge impact in a spot the franchise clearly needed help. That was one of Schoens big needs early on in the first episode on Tuesday night.
Hey, it never hurts to ask.
Though they did get into much on Tuesday night we got an inside look at Schoens offseason prep after the teams 6-11 finish last year and at quarterback Daniel Jones recovery from his ACL injury there were plenty of hints at the teams decision to move on from star running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley, after not getting a long-term extension from the Giants, signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Barkley played last season on the franchise tag, but the two sides failed to come to terms on a deal to keep him in New York for the long haul. Barkley had 962 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season, his sixth in the league.
The episode ended with the front offices discussions about which direction to take the Giants offense, which Schoen seemed set on protecting Jones above all else and waiting for a cheaper running back down the road. How they go about ending the Barkley-era in New York, however, left the group at a stalemate.
Though we know the team signed Devin Singletary to a three-year, $16.5 million deal eventually, the rest of this summer season of Hard Knocks is sure to feature Barkleys departure from the franchise.