A Giant’s Blunder Will Make Eagles Greatness In 2024.
In 2024 America, reality TV is peaking. Thats a key reason why after 20 years, this season of HBO’s NFL reality show Hard Knocks is one of its most popular with an audience of around 4.4 million people. This season, the wildly popular HBO series produced an off-season series of episodes which follow New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen through the NFL player negotiations, roster management, and the 2024 NFL Draft — highlighting their nearly hundred years existence started by Tim Mara for a $500.00 investment in 1925. The Giants have always been in the Mara family.
Normally, any TV series on the New York Giants would be as interesting to Eagles fans as a time-lapse series on the creation of the Dallas Cowboys.
The show is complete with Giants’ talent evaluation, salary negotiation, NFL Combine scouting, as well as minute-by-minute access into the New York Draft Room as they navigate the expanded $255.4 million per team 2024 salary cap rise of north of $30 million from 2023. Sound repulsive?
Hold the phone.
One recurring plot that the reality series continues to return to is the on-going negotiation with their star offensive player — twenty-seven year old running back Saquon Barkley. Unable to come to a deal with the All-Pro Philadelphia phenom running back who played at Penn State in college and in whom in 2023 — the Giants placed an adjusted franchise tag with a value of $10.1 million fully guaranteed and up to $11 million including incentives deal. The tag was adjusted to include for a $2 Million signing bonus.
The Eagles added the former New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley. In college at Penn State, Barkley ran for almost 3,900 yards, had nearly 1,200 yards receiving, and over 500 yards in kickoff and returns. He was a 2-time Big Ten Running Back of the Year, six-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, and still holds school records for most rushing yards as a freshman and a sophomore and the most total yards in a game.
As the #2 draftee by the New York Giants in the year 2018, Barkley was offensive rookie of the year as well as a Pro Bowler twice.
Stumbling through all of the nauseating, negative Eagles slights was well worth it to see Joe Schoen’s horrified New York Giant’s Assistant GM’s and scouts watching ESPN’s coverage of Barkley arriving at the Novacare Complex and becoming a Philadelphia Eagle.
HBO’s Hard Knocks has yet to cover the Philadelphia Eagles. Halfway through episode 3of the series, New York Giants President and CEO John Mara walks into Shoen’s office and says, “I’m going to have trouble sleeping at night if Saquon goes to Philadelphia. He’s our most popular player by far.”
Yup, it’s definitely worth watching, Eagles Nation. You’ll be glad that you did.
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