Mara deserves acknowledgment for not pressuring Schoen to break his financial plans to retain Barkley. Hard Knocks provided key insights into the negotiation process, revealing Schoen’s phone conversations with Barkley’s agent, Ed Berry, and the Giants’ owner, Mara, during the talks.
Schoen’s conversation with Berry was straightforward: “Hello? Ed Berry, what’s up, buddy? We need to figure out what it would take to keep Saquon. You mentioned 12.5 million annually for three years with 25 million guaranteed. If I offer that today, does that make him a Giant? OK, I’ll be in touch.”
Schoen then called Mara to discuss the offer: “Hey John, just got off the phone with the agent. The deal we discussed is 12.5 million annual for three years with 25 million guaranteed. If we match this, he’s staying with us. But the agent seemed non-committal, so there might be more to negotiate.”
