Tiki Barber: Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt would be ‘tone-deaf’ to continue Giants jokes in Super Bowl

Tiki Barber thinks Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady should leave their New York Giants jokes in the NFC Championship Game.

The Giants have been mocked all season for letting Saquon Barkley walk to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. And as Barkley led Philadelphia to a 55-23 NFC Championship Game victory over the Washington Commanders with three touchdowns, Burkhardt and Brady made the Giants the butt of the joke again.

“Giants fans may have a tough time sleeping going forward,” Burkhardt said while discussing Barkley’s “magnificent” play. It was a not-so-subtle reference of Giants owner John Mara saying he would “have a hard time sleeping” if Barkley signed with Philly during an episode of Hard Knocks: Offseason. The reference prompted Brady to join in with, “Giant mistake letting him go.”

The intentional quips had WFAN afternoon host Evan Roberts wondering how many times fans should expect to hear a Giants joke or reference with Brady and Burkhardt calling the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX for Fox.

Will Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt mock the Giants for letting Saquon Barkley go again in the Super Bowl? https://t.co/4KFA19WjqN pic.twitter.com/f8HHsBXrOK

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 29, 2025

“None,” co-host Tiki Barber said confidently. “I think it’s been played out and if they are anything other than tone-deaf, they will get it.”

Tone-deaf would be letting the Giants become a focal point of the broadcast, which isn’t what Brady or Burkhardt did during the NFC Championship Game. Both jokes were mild troll attempts that came in the fourth quarter of a blowout.

But Barber is probably right. Burkhardt and Brady already mocked the Giants’ shortcomings once, there isn’t really a need to bring it up again during the Super Bowl. If the Fox broadcast finds themselves pressed for content, they can always reach for a Taylor Swift reference.