In Hard knocks: offseason with the New York GiantsIn this video, narrated by Liev Schreiber, the folks at NFL Films turn their cameras on the Giants’ front office as it attempts to improve the team’s disappointing 6-11 record in 2023. The team, winner of eight NFL championships, including four Super Bowl victories, is celebrating its 100th season in 2024. And in the early days of the offseason, the big talking point is whether star running back Saquon Barkley will be offered another franchise tag contract or allowed to leave via free agency.
HARD HITS: OFFSEASON WITH THE NEW YORK GIANTS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening shot: “FEBRUARY 16, 2024.” New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen discusses star running back Saquon Barkley with his senior staff.
The essence: The series opens with head coach Brian Daboll giving a final pep talk to the team after the final game of the 2023 regular season. Schoen, in his third year as general manager, and the scouting and personnel staff get right to work, discussing potential free agents and how much they made last season.
Of course, the main topic of conversation is about Barkley. The team placed the franchise tag on him last year, restricting his movement as a free agent, but Schoen thinks it’s unlikely they’ll do that again in 2024. There’s a good chance he’s gone, but Schoen and his staff believe the running back market is saturated to the point that they can get a replacement for him for less money than Barkley could get on the open market, though Schoen has his doubts he’ll be in such high demand (Barkley ended up signing with the Eagles).
But the team is looking for more than just a new RB, management is looking at free agent defensive linemen who could take some pressure off star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. Of course, the draft is another big task for management, and we see Schoen talking to other general managers (friends he made from his years with the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills) at the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl.
We also look at quarterback Daniel Jones’ recovery from ACL surgery, but Barkley remains the main topic. Schoen tells co-owner and CEO John Mara that they’ve invested too much in Jones to not spend the cap space they have on finding people to protect him better than he did in recent years, when he suffered three injuries in two years. Mara reluctantly agrees, though he wishes there was a way Barkley could stay.
What shows will it remind you of? This is not only the first time the Giants have been the subject of Hard knocksbut it’s the first time Hard knocks He has focused on a team’s off-season activities. He usually focuses on a team during the preseason or during the season.
Our opinion: Mara was never a fan of Hard knocksbut I finally agreed Allowing the cameras in is because it’s the team’s 100th season and it was a good way to highlight the team’s extensive history on a national scale. What’s interesting is that the only way the team would do that, though, is to have the cameras primarily around Schoen, Daboll and management, not the players.
This iteration of Hard knocks This movie will no doubt prove fascinating to those interested in seeing how the decision-makers of their favorite NFL teams make personnel decisions each year. But as far as the action goes, it’s not exactly spectacular. It’s like HBO came and put cameras all over your office; you’ll see videos of meetings, PowerPoint presentations, and people arguing in offices. There may be more swearing here, depending on what your office is like.
But for anyone wondering what discussions about free agents and potential draftees look like, this offseason edition of Hard knocks It’s definitely going to be of interest. The conversations Schoen has about Barkley are, of course, going to be the most talked about of the first few episodes of the season. While it seemed like Barkley wasn’t going to be re-signed, there still seemed to be some unease about it among members of the team’s front office.
But the edit we see shows Schoen is pretty convinced Barkley can be replaced for far less money than what the franchise tag would bring or what he would find on the open market. The footage also shows Schoen’s commitment to Jones, who was drafted by his predecessor, Dave Gettleman, is more solid than sports radio enthusiasts have speculated. For an organization as conservative as the Giants, that’s a pretty telling thing to see.
Will we see any personal moments? Probably. For example, we see Schoen driving to work eating an Uncrustables, talking about how he used to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he was a young scouting assistant for the Panthers 20 years ago and how he asked his wife to make him the same sandwiches for the ride to his press conference when the Giants hired him as general manager in 2022. It’s fun to see those reflections, but we have a feeling they’ll be few and far between.
Sex and skin: None.
Parting shot: Schoen asks his high-level staff about Jones: “Is he going to be our guy for the next ten years or do we have to make a change and find someone else?” Given the status of his contract (he’s in his final guaranteed year at more than $40 million per year), now will be the time to find out.
Sleeping Star: Brandon Brown, the assistant general manager, appears to be a rising star in the league. He’s certainly not a man to say yes to Schoen and gives his boss a good idea of the team’s needs.
Pilot’s most typical phrase: Daboll talks to Schoen about Shane Bowen, whom he considers the leading candidate to be the team’s new defensive coordinator. As he lists the stats for the defense Bowen coached for the Tennessee Titans, he swears in odd places. Apparently, the defense ranked 10th in “fucking points,” for example.
Our calling: PASS IT ON. Hard knocks: offseason with the New York Giants It’s not going to sweep away the controversial moments where players insult each other or argue with coaches. But if you’re curious about how an NFL front office works in the offseason, this show should give you enough insight to keep you interested.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting, and technology, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV addict. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.comFast Company and elsewhere.