Let me just say this—watching Saquon Barkley go from being undervalued to holding a Super Bowl ring has been my biggest football joy.
I knew he was going to have the season of his life after watching last year’s Hard Knocks. My husband and I were sitting there, both steaming, watching the Giants GM Joe Schoen play what felt like a messy game of checkers while everyone else in the league was playing chess.
The Giants, in my opinion, are one of the most ego-driven organizations out there.
During the combine interviews, they were obsessed with whether or not players had egos—as if that’s a bad thing. But let me tell you, great players win because they have egos. If you’ve ever had a weak leader, you know they shrink around someone who shines too bright—and that’s exactly what I think happened with Saquon in New York.
The Giants consistently praised players for having “no ego”—but the best of the best?
They have to believe in themselves. That’s what sets them apart. Meanwhile, Saquon was getting tagged year after year, begging for a real contract, only to watch Daniel Jones get paid big…and then fall flat just one season later.
On Hard Knocks, we saw the Giants GM and coach laughing and scheming about rolling out the red carpet for Brian Burns—but when it came to Saquon? Nothing. Not even a decent offer. That moment stuck with me. A poor leader will downplay your wins and over blame your mistakes. And the way they talked about Saquon behind the scenes, saying no team would see value in him? That wasn’t just disrespectful—it was delusional.
And then came that moment on the phone: Joe Schoen telling Saquon to go test the market. You could see it in his face—he knew he’d made a mistake. Suddenly he’s backtracking, asking Saquon to give him “his word” on a chance to match. But at that point, Saquon wasn’t just playing for the best offer. He was looking for a team that respected him and could win.
@chase.daniel Watched the #Giants side play out on Hard Knocks…now here’s Saquon’s version The Philadelphia #Eagle joins our Scoop City Podcast in an exclusive interview this Tuesday. 🍦 🎙️ Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel & our Podcast! #saquonbarkley #nygiants #eagles #nfl #football #shorts ♬ original sound – Chase Daniel
Enter: the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even the Giants’ owner said he wouldn’t be able to sleep if Saquon ended up in Philly. Joe Schoen? He just giggled. Like a kid who didn’t realize he was losing. That whole scene will probably go down as one of the worst GM decisions in football history.
Fast forward to fantasy football draft season—I was hyped.
I’m a huge fantasy football fan, and I had Saquon top on my radar. If you play fantasy, you know how crucial running backs are in the first round. Once they’re gone, you’re either praying for a breakout rookie, an injury, or a sleeper.
According to the “experts” on NFL.com, your top RBs were McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson…and Saquon was ranked sixth behind Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor. I had the 6th pick in one league and the 1st in an auction Jets league with my husband. In my first draft, CMC and Breece went 1 and 2, followed by CeeDee, Ja’marr and Bijan. I was thrilled to get Saquon.
Now, in my Jets league, I play differently. For the first few rounds, I throw out names I don’t want so everyone else spends their money. I put up Breece Hall first and watched the feeding frenzy—he went for over $100. Same with Garrett Wilson. When Saquon finally came up, I dropped $80 on him and everyone thought I was crazy.
But here’s the thing: I didn’t trust Breece or Garrett. Aaron Rodgers had “his guys,” and both those players had mediocre fantasy years. Breece didn’t even crack the top 10 in RBs, and Garrett barely held on to WR9. Anyone who thought I picked Saquon just because he’s hot learned real quick—I know ball.
Fast forward again to that Eagles-Giants game. Saquon balled out.
He was so dominant, they benched him because they were crushing the Giants so hard. He almost broke his own record but chose to sit out and “let them eat”—giving his backups time on the field. It was such a power move. But honestly? A little part of me wanted him to grab that record just to stick it to the Giants.
Watching Saquon go all the way and win the Super Bowl after everything the Giants put him through? That was the cherry on top. And now the Giants? They ditched Daniel Jones and brought in Russell Wilson—with Jameis Winston (who I love, by the way) as backup.
I still can’t get over that Super Bowl pre-game interview when Jameis asked Saquon where he should go next and Saquon said, “I think New York need a QB right now.” I lived for that moment.
@nfl #giants got their qb 😤 #jameiswinston #newyork #saquonbarkley #philadelphia #eagles #nfl (via @Front Office Sports ♬ original sound – NFL
I’m so proud of Saquon.
I can’t wait to see who my gut picks next. This year? My early instinct says Justin Fields.
After watching the Steelers bench him for Russell Wilson and not even give him the full playbook, then letting him go to the Jets in that wild free agency swap with Aaron Rodgers—it’s giving major comeback energy.
If the Jets can just stay out of Jet’s fan drama and give Fields the right tools, I think he’s going to surprise people. Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas got the boot last year, and as long as Woody Johnson stops listening to the fan base (who are never happy anyway), there’s hope.
Last season I had to listen to Jets Twitter call for Saleh’s job every week, only for a complete 180 within days. Same with Zach Wilson—bench him, start him, bench him again. It was exhausting. But this year? I’m trusting my gut. Justin Fields is going to have his moment.
Let’s see how it all plays out…
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