A.J. Brown Had Fired-Up Message for Saquon Barkley After Viral ‘Hard Knocks’ Clip

Kristen Wong | Jul 3, 2024

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

It turns out Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has seen that “Hard Knocks” video making the rounds on the internet, too. 

In his latest tweet, Brown referenced a clip from the HBO sports docuseries that detailed the New York Giants’ behind-the-scenes offseason conversations about running back Saquon Barkley.

Brown posted on Wednesday, “The Saquon video fired me up and it wasn’t even about me. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you get yours fam!"

The Saquon video fired me up and it wasn’t even about me . I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you get yours fam! @saquon

— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) July 3, 2024

In the season premiere of Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants, which aired Tuesday night, members of the Giants’ front office debated how Barkley fits into the franchise’s future, if at all. Much of the closed-doors conversations revolved around whether the Giants could trade Barkley for valuable assets if they were to franchise-tag him for a second-consecutive year.

“Do you feel good about eating $3 to $4 million for a fifth-round pick? Like, I wouldn’t,” Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown told general manager Joe Schoen.

Schoen could also be heard having a separate conversation with Frank Gore and NFL agent Malki Kawa discussing the decline of running backs after a certain age.

“Saquon had like 900 carries at Penn State plus six years in the NFL, you gotta start saying, ‘Bang for your buck.’” Schoen said. “The data says that [there’s a decline after age 27].”

Barkley, who turned 27 last February, rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries in his sixth and last campaign with the Giants. The two-time Pro Bowler defected to the Eagles in March, signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal worth up to $46.75 million including incentives. It’s worth noting that Philadelphia has an out after the 2025 season, when Barkley will be 29.