Giants Super Bowl winner Shaun O’Hara revealed he’s ‘happy’ to see Saquon Barkley in the championship game after departing New York, he told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview.
Former offensive lineman O’Hara, who was part of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII-winning squad over the Patriots, admitted it was disappointing that the ‘best version’ of Barkley did not come to fruition with Big Blue, but nonetheless wished the running back well.
‘I don’t look at it as indictment on anybody,’ he said from radio row of Barkley’s success with the Eagles. ‘I look at it as disappointing that he wasn’t able to be this type of running back while he was with the Giants. And there’s a myriad of reasons for that. So when they drafted him with the second overall pick, and [former Giants GM] Dave Gettleman talked about – I’m sure he’s smiling right now as he sees everything Saquon’s doing, that justifies that pick – Saquon’s rookie year, this is what he looked like. And then just through injury and through poor offensive line play and poor-functioning offenses, we just never saw this best version of him.
‘So yeah, it’s tough to see that, but I’m happy for Saquon, you know, this was big for him. To see him having fun again and winning again. You know, we can focus on the money and the financial aspect of it, and the contracts all that, but it’s nice to see somebody playing for the right reasons. This wasn’t about money.
‘This was about getting Saquon in a great opportunity to show what he’s capable of doing. And this was a great opportunity for him. He’s in a great spot, and I love the fact that he’s playing in this game. He hadn’t gone to Philly, he would be talking about this game, not playing in it.’
After handing Daniel Jones – who was cut by the team in November – a four year, $160million contract in 2023, the Giants allowed Barkley to walk the following year, as he received $37.75million ($25million guaranteed) from the Eagles.
Saquon Barkey will play in his first Super Bowl on Saturday with the Philadelphia Eagles
Shaun O’Hara won a Super Bowl with the Giants and played with the franchise from 2004-10
The Giants, who used the franchise tag on Barkley in 2023, ultimately did not put down an official offer for the running back before he joined Philly, he later said.
Of course, that supposed decision has become ridiculed after Barkley had the best season of his career – averaging 5.8 yards per carry and totaling 2,005 yards on the ground – but O’Hara defended the organization’s logic in letting Barkley walk after a 6-11 season.
‘I think financially, there’s plenty of argument for it was the right move for the Giants,’ the three-time Pro Bowler said. Just given where they are right now… to build this thing the right way with longevity, you know, they couldn’t continue to pay guys like Saquon and Daniel Jones and not get the wins out of it. So there’s that aspect of it.’
O’Hara also suggested an interesting Draft strategy for his former franchise.
With the Giants expected to use their No. 3 overall pick to select a passer, O’Hara believes the Giants should load up on the position and actually take two quarterbacks this spring.
‘Bring in two, because one is not enough in the league now, especially with the amount of times that quarterbacks run,’ he said. ‘Daboll’s offense is really predicated on the quarterback being a threat and being able to run.
‘So look, I think the Giants have a lot of other things that they need to fix too. This is not just a quarterback fix away. So I think they’re going to take all of that into account.’
O’Hara added that ‘a lot of factors’ contributed to the Giants 3-14 record this past season
‘It wasn’t just one player or coach or person. Look, I think the fact that they believe in Daboll, they believe in Schoen, they believe in the plan, you know, it’s tough sometimes to stay the course.
Barkley had a tremendous season for the Eagles as he ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns
Andrew Whitworth and O’Hara are seen this week in New Orleans ahead of the Super Bowl
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‘But look, there are plenty of teams and owners that are firing people after one year. And people take them to task for not being patient enough. I don’t think we can talk out of both sides of our mouths and say that and then punish somebody for being patient and for saying, ‘Look, I’m not going to get on that three-year cycle and keep riding that miracle around. I’m going to get off that and I’m going to stay the course.”
O’Hara’s comments on Friday came after is former teammate Eli Manning was snubbed from the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class – the quarterback’s first year of eligibility.
The former center, who has spent time with Manning in New Orleans this week, said the two-time Super Bowl winner was ‘really honored’ to be a finalist and wasn’t ‘upset’ or ‘angry at the decision.
‘We made sure that we clanked enough glasses to still celebrate. And this doesn’t define him or his career,’ O’Hara said. ‘I’m obviously biased as a teammate and as a friend. Look, he definitely belongs. It’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when.’
