In just one season, star running back Saquon Barkley transformed from being on the verge of release by the New York Giants to celebrating a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles. His remarkable individual and team achievements suggest that any lingering hard feelings towards the Giants organization may finally be a thing of the past.
During a guest appearance on Tuesday’s edition of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon aired a clip from the now-infamous moment on HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason, where Giants owner John Mara and general manager Joe Schoen discussed the possibility of Barkley departing in free agency—an outcome that ultimately came to fruition. The clip has frequently surfaced whenever Barkley’s stellar first season in Philadelphia is mentioned, leading to rumors of cancellation for the Hard Knocks: Offseason series, as teams are wary of providing such extensive access to their front office activities as the Giants did last offseason.
This past season, Barkley occasionally showed a lack of humility regarding the Hard Knocks clip, notably referencing Mara’s comments about how he would “lose sleep” if Barkley ended up with the Eagles in an Instagram advertisement for a sleep-aid product. However, after the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory, Barkley expressed gratitude for his time with the Giants, acknowledging the organization for kickstarting his NFL career. “That clip doesn’t really display the relationship I have with that organization from top to bottom,” Barkley stated. “They are the people who brought me in. After the game, many individuals from the organization reached out, excited for my birthday and to see me hold that Lombardi Trophy. They recognize the hard work I’ve put in. So yeah, that clip is in the past, and I’m happy to be an Eagle. I see it like Marshall Faulk, one of my favorite running backs. He played for the Colts but is remembered as a Ram. I just want to be remembered as an Eagle.”
.@saquon reacts to the viral Hard Knocks clip before joining the @Eagles. #FallonTonight #SBLIX pic.twitter.com/PmxZepXsnP
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) February 12, 2025
Considering he just had one of the best seasons of any running back and achieved his dream of becoming a Super Bowl champion, it’s much easier for Barkley to put Mara’s past comments behind him. Nonetheless, he could have easily ridiculed John Mara like many others have done. So, credit to him for closing his chapter with the Giants in a positive manner.
