This is the conversation that led to Saquon Barkley hitting free agency — and signing with the Eagles

Saquon Barkley left the Giants for the Eagles this offseason, and thanks to the Giants’ appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks, fans are getting unprecedented insight into how the entire process went down.

On the premiere episode, general manager Joe Schoen and the Giants front office discussed the potential of franchise-tagging Barkley and then trading him. They eventually determined that the value of a potential trade was not worth it and instead chose to invest elsewhere in the lineup. But owner John Mara still wanted to keep Barkley, feeling unsure that the offense could find success without him.

The second episode of the season revealed the conversation between Barkley and the Giants that sent him to free agency. Schoen hoped to pitch Barkley on being a Giants legend, and the value of that being higher than an extra million somewhere else.

“Hey, here is our price,” Schoen told assistant general manager Brandon Brown. “You want your name up here forever? Two more years, you’re in the Ring of Honor. Or you want a million dollars more to go somewhere else?”

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He also spoke to Barkley’s agent, Ed Berry, conflicted over the data, which suggests that running backs decline after age 27. Barkley turned 27 in February.

“I’m torn, Ed, because I still think he can play, and I think he can help us,” Schoen said. “But I didn’t want to comment on numbers. I don’t have a great idea where the market is. That’s why I’m going to let the league tell him what it is and, hey, if you want to come back and be a Giant, let’s try to find something that makes sense. If we’re close, then let’s have a conversation, because again, I do think he was our best offensive player.”

Ultimately, when on the phone with Barkley in that final conversation, Schoen told him to test the market.

“Just mulling over this, the right thing to do is let you test the market to see what your value is,” Schoen told Barkley on the call. “I don’t want to do the franchise thing or all that stuff again. I don’t want to go through that. We’ve both been through that. If you really want to be a Giant for life and you’re interested in coming back, see what your market is and have Ed come back to us and we’ll see if we can come to an agreement.”

Schoen asked Barkley to “give him his word” to circle back, to which Barkley replied: “I mean, I already told you where I want to be.”

Of course, when free agency opened, Barkley signed a three-year deal worth up to $37.75 million with the Birds. After signing, Barkley implied the Giants didn’t give him an offer to return to the team in a post on X.

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Much of the other content in the episode surrounded the scouting combine, with Giants front office members interviewing top prospects like Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Malik Nabers, and St. Joseph’s Prep grad Marvin Harrison Jr.

In Harrison Jr.’s interview, the wide receiver perfectly navigated a potential trap question about fellow Prep alum Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse after three years at Ohio State. Former Eagles coordinator and current Giants receivers coach Mike Groh broke down tape with Harrison and asked what his approach in the huddle was after an underthrow caused Harrison to miss out on a potential touchdown.

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“I don’t say nothing to the quarterbacks,” Harrison said repeatedly.

“I mean, it’s a [expletive] throw, right?” Groh replied.

“I mean, I can make a play,” Harrison said. “I can make a play still. I will never say anything to the quarterbacks. I always blame it on myself.”

Harrison was ultimately drafted fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals.