A.J. Brown defends Saquon Barkley after degrading ‘Hard Knocks’ episode

It was clear when the New York Giants let running back Saquon Barkley walk in free agency they didn’t view him as an integral piece of their offense.

But there’s a difference in knowing something to be true and actually hearing the words spoken out loud, and that’s exactly what happened in the debut episode of “Hard Knocks,” in which Giants general manager Joe Schoen appeared to take a shot at Barkley.

“We've got to upgrade the offensive line, and you're paying [Daniel Jones] $40M — it's not to hand the ball off to a $12M back,” Schoen said . “My plan is to address the offensive line at some point at some point in free agency [and in the draft] there’s a chance there’s an offensive weapon there. This is the year for Daniel.”

Schoen’s remarks didn’t sit well with Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, who took to social media on Wednesday afternoon to let everyone know he planned to avenge his new teammate.

Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75M deal with the Eagles back in March after a 962-yard, six-touchdown season in New York.

The Giants franchise-tagged Barkley last offseason for $10.09M but ultimately signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $11M that gave him a $2M up-front signing bonus last July — a process that Schoen described as taking 10 years off his life trying to work out.

New York kicked a few ideas around, including trying to trade Barkley and letting him the market with the hope of matching whatever offers he got. He ultimately chose to go with Philadelphia.

The 27-year-old RB will play his former team twice in 2024 — on Oct. 20 and Jan. 5 — and after Tuesday’s “Hard Knocks” viewing, Barkley likely has a little extra motivation to perform well.