This offseason, longtime New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley ultimately left the New York Giants and signed with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. And it sounds like that exact situation was something that team owner John Mara was hoping that the team would be able to avoid.
During a recent episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, New York Giants team owner John Mara admitted the brutal truth that he would “have a tough time sleeping” if Saquon Barkley chose to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles after leaving the New York Giants, pointing out that he was the most popular player on the team “by far.”
“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” Mara said, as shown on Hard Knocks according to Pro Football Talk. “As I’ve told you, I’ve been around enough players, but he’s the most popular player we have, by far.”
Needless to say, that’s exactly what happened. Barkley and the Giants could not come to terms on a new deal to keep him in New York and he subsequently decided to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he will face off against his former team twice every season.
It’s certainly not an ideal situation fro Mara or the Giants.
