Retired New York Giants legend Michael Strahan levelled the team’s current general manager with a vicious dig during Fox Sports’ Wild Card pregame show.
While previewing Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles offense and Green Bay Packers defense, Strahan made sure to point out that All-Pros on both sides of the ball had been let go by Giants boss Joe Schoen.
First Strahan listed the credentials of Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who put together an MVP-worthy season in Philadelphia after leaving New York on a three-year, $37.7 million contract in March.
Entering Sunday’s 22-10 win over Green Bay, Barkley had gained a career-high 2,005 yards on the ground with another 278 yards coming on 33 receptions. And with 15 total touchdowns, it was no wonder why Barkley – who was drafted by the Giants with the second pick of the 2018 NFL Draft – received All-Pro honors for the first time in his impressive career.
Then Strahan pivoted to Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who also earned an All-Pro nod after leaving the Giants. Now among the NFL’s leader in takeaways with eight interceptions and a fumble recovery in 2024, McKinney is another player Schoen should have re-signed, as Strahan explained with a scathingly sarcastic comment.
‘Thank you New York Giants cause you let [McKinney] go and you let Barkley go,’ the Fox Sports analyst said, flashing his famous gap-toothed smile. ‘Well done.’
Retired New York Giants legend Michael Strahan levelled the team’s current general manager with a vicious dig during Fox Sports’ Wild Card pregame show on Sunday
New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen, center, on the field before a recent game
Barkley had 119 yards on 25 carries in Sunday’s win. The Eagles now advance to face the winner of Monday’s Minnesota Vikings-Los Angeles Rams game from Glendale, Arizona.
Schoen famously re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million in March of 2023, only to let Barkley walk to a divisional rival the following year with catastrophic results.
The struggling Jones has since been released by Schoen, who decided to free up $19.4 million in cap room next season, albeit with a $22.1 million cap penalty.
But while Strahan did urge the Giants to retain Barkley as he approached free agency, the team’s all-time leader in sacks also supported the disastrous decision to re-sign Barkley.
‘You have to pay Daniel Jones,’ Strahan said in 2023, as quoted by the New York Post.
‘That’s just the way football works right now. And the hardest position to fill is quarterback.
‘So, if you don’t keep him, somebody else will get him and then what’s your next move? There’s no guarantee anyone else is gonna be great.’
Saquon Barkley had 119 yards on 25 carries in the Philadelphia Eagles’ win on Sunday
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) walks the field before Sunday’s loss
Despite the ill-fated decisions regarding Barkley, McKinney and Jones, not to mention the team’s dismal 3-14 record, Schoen managed to keep his job in East Rutherford, New Jersey along with head coach Brian Daboll.
‘Now that the season is over, we felt it necessary to make this statement,’ team co-owner John Mara said in a statement. ‘Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization. As disappointing as the results have been, [co-owner Steve Tisch] and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team.
‘We look forward to the future and achieving the results we all desire.’
Previously, HBO’s Hard Knocks caught Mara saying he would ‘lose sleep’ if the team lost Barkley to a division rival in Philadelphia, which is exactly what ended up happening.
That exchange has since inspired an ad for the sleep aid, Unisom, in which Barkley pokes fun at Mara’s sleepless nights.
‘I heard some of you were having trouble sleeping, so I wrote you a lullaby: Rock-a-bye baby awake in your bed, as the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football; not for me, though. Goodnight to you all.’
