Will 'Hard Knocks' end certain criticisms of Giants co-owner John Mara?

The first episode of the "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" program featured an interesting conversation between team general manager Joe Schoen and co-owner John Mara regarding the future of then-New York running back Saquon Barkley.

"In a perfect world, I’d still like to have him back," Mara can be heard saying about Barkley, as shared by Dan Duggan of The Athletic and Christian Arnold of the New York Post. "Until we can prove we can have a decent offense without him."

Of course, Mara didn't get his wish. Barkley ultimately hit free agency and signed a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to join the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Duggan mentioned that the fact the Giants let Barkley reach the open market "supports Mara’s claim that he doesn’t strong-arm personnel decisions."

Whispers suggested throughout the spring and summer of 2023 that Mara could essentially force Schoen to get a deal done with Barkley after the club retained the ball-carrier's rights via the franchise tag. The thought was that Mara viewed Barkley "as the face of his franchise" and as somebody worth more to the organization than just what he offered as an offensive weapon.

More recently, multiple noteworthy individuals directly blamed Giants ownership for sticking Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll with quarterback Daniel Jones beyond the 2022 season.

Jones guided Big Blue to a road playoff win in January 2023 before he signed a four-year contract in March of that year that could be worth up to $160M. New York can escape that deal next offseason.

Schoen hinted during the episode he thought bolstering the club's woeful offensive line this offseason was more important than paying Barkley, particularly after Jones suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Nov. 5.

"My plan is to address the offensive line at some point here in free agency," Schoen said during the episode.

Mara seemingly has given Schoen the figurative keys to the franchise, but the situation could change if the Giants endure a second straight losing campaign.

As of late Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Giants at +115 betting odds to win over 6.5 games this season.