For nearly a century, the Eagles–Giants rivalry has been built on bad blood, heartbreak, and the kind of pettiness that fuels an entire fanbase. Miracle at the Meadowlands? The Brian Westbrook dagger? DeSean Jackson’s walk-off punt return? New York fans still wake up in cold sweats over those. But in 2024, the Giants didn’t just hand Philly another win—they gift-wrapped an MVP running back and sent him straight down I-95.

Saquon Barkley in Eagles green was a nightmare scenario for John Mara. He admitted as much, saying he’d “lose sleep” if his former star signed with Philly. So, naturally, Barkley leaned into the chaos. And now, after an embarrassing 3-14 season, the Giants are scrambling for a new identity, reportedly eyeing Aaron Rodgers as their next move.

If you think it sounds like a desperate pivot, Eagles reporter Zack Berman would agree. He didn’t just question the Giants’ strategy—he torched it. “I really dislike—strongly dislike—what the New York Giants are doing right now, and I think it’s irresponsible.” Berman didn’t just throw shade at the Giants’ front office—he yeeted the whole lamp. During a fiery podcast rant, Berman roasted Big Blue’s whiplash-inducing offseason strategy.

Let’s rewind to March 2024, when Barkley—the human highlight reel who’d carried the Giants’ offense like a sherpa—inked a 3-year, $37.75M deal with the Eagles. Cue John Mara’s insomnia. The Giants President’s worst nightmare had come true. Saquon, ever the troll, starred in a sleep aid ad mocking the quote. Mara’s response? “The least you could’ve done was ask me to be in the commercial.” Stoic on the outside, but we could hear that weeping on the inside echo loud and clear.

From Saquon Barkley’s side hustle to Mara’s midnight panic

“I might be idealistic, but when you’re the general manager of a club, you have to be the steward of the franchise. You have a responsibility to the franchise and to the fan base to act in the best interest of both—not in your own job security.” Berman dug his heel deep into Mara’s side. “I thought the pursuit of Matthew Stafford, you can potentially rationalize that. You get two, three years out of it. Any pursuit of Aaron Rodgers would be… a brazen attempt at simply… trying to preserve a job.”

Berman ripped into the decision-making on Saquon’s move. “I would be flabbergasted by this suggestion that your rationalization for not signing Saquon Barkley is they weren’t at the stage to do so. You can at least sell me on that. I mean, I agree. If you’re a middling team or a rebuilding team, you don’t need to spend $13 million on a running back, right? But then you can come to me and say you had this one draft class with Tyrone Tracy and Malik Nabors and now you’re ready to bring in the 40-year-old quarterback.” He continued to call out the short-sightedness of the moves, “All that’s doing to me is job preservation, and that is irresponsible.”

Meanwhile Saquon Barkley wasn’t just trolling—he was turbocharging. In Philly, he dropped 2,005 rushing yards (5.8 YPC) and a league-record 2,857 scrimmage yards, dragging the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX win on his birthday. Meanwhile, the Giants flopped to 3-14, their offense scoring fewer points than a toddler’s math test (16.1 PPG). “Nothing is given. Everything is earned,” Barkley once said. Tell that to Giants fans watching him hoist the Lombardi in green.

Now, Big Blue’s front office is scrambling like someone zapped their playbook with a shrink ray. After whiffing on Matthew Stafford (“He’s staying in LA,” McVay smirked), they’re now pining for Aaron Rodgers—yes, the same Rodgers who went 5-12 with the Jets last year. “No, seriously! If I were John Mara and that idea came across my desk, I’d be flabbergasted,” Berman thought on behalf of the NYG co-owner. Imagine trading Saquon to ‘rebuild’, then chasing a QB older than Friends reruns.

Rodgers to NYG: A legacy play or desperation bingo?

Let’s get this straight. Aaron Rodgers in Giants blue is either a galaxy-brain move or proof the front office mainlines Madden franchise mode.

The four-time MVP’s 2024 Jets stint wasn’t pretty (3,897 yards, 28 TDs, 11 INTs), but hey, he’s still got that ‘I’ll put the team on my back, dawg’ energy. Plus, he’s low-key obsessed with beating the Giants. After a 2023 loss, he griped, “We’ve gotta be sharper—they’re a good team.” Respect. Or PTSD.

But here’s the rub: Rodgers wants a squad that’s “all-in,” and the Giants’ 2024 offense was about as threatening as a gluten-free cookie. Their 28th-ranked passing attack made Daniel Jones look like a Moneyball experiment gone wrong. Yet GM Joe Schoen’s reportedly ready to offer Rodgers a golden parachute. This leaves the No. 3 draft pick dangling as a future QB project. “Authenticity is everything,” Rodgers once said. Authentically desperate?

Meanwhile, Mara’s caught between Saquon’s ghost and a QB twilight zone. Letting Saquon Barkley walk was a “trust the process” move, but pivoting to Rodgers feels like microwaving a rebuild. Zack Berman further ripped into indecisiveness plaguing the Giants: “…this other idea that they could pivot to trading up with the Tennessee—like make up your mind. You’re either going for the number one pick or you’re signing the 40-year-old quarterback.”

He suggested some better choices that Mara could make. “If you’re going to sign any type of quarterback, you can sell me on Sam Darnold or Justin Fields. You know, if you wanted to sign the guy in his 20s.” But that wasn’t all. “If you were going for the bridge quarterback, right, and you were going for, I don’t know, Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins isn’t going to cost you anything. You have a veteran here who, like, can allow you to take your time,” he pushed the looming free agent from the Falcons as a better alternative.

“What does signing Aaron Rodgers do for the New York Giants other than potentially get you to a wild card spot this year and allow the GM and the head coach to keep his job? To me, it is irresponsible roster management.” Berman delivered his verdict.

Either commit to the tank (hello, Drake Maye!) or go full Ocean’s Eleven for one last heist.“Kirk Cousins isn’t gonna cost you any you know, let’s say in theory, the Falcons cut Kirk Cousins. I don’t know why they would hold on to him, but it’s not gonna cost you anything. He’s you you can draft a young quarterback. You have a veteran here who who, like, can allow you to take your time. What is signing Aaron Rodgers do for the New York Giants ” he further added.

Bottom Line: The Giants are stuck in NFL purgatory—too proud to bottom out, too broke to buy a contender. Meanwhile, Philly’s cackling with Saquon and a shiny Lombardi. As Rodgers would say, “R-E-L-A-X.” Or don’t. This NFC East drama’s juicier than a Succession season.