Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley Reveals First Team That Caught His Eye in Free Agency

While the former New York Giants running back ended up signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley has revealed he was initially interested in the Houston Texans.

Saquon Barkley of the Giants running the ball against Derek Stingley Jr. of the Texans in the first / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA

After spending the first six years of his career with the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley finds him back in Pennsylvania after signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

However, even with his past ties to the city of Philadelphia and having starred as the running back for the Penn State Nittany Lions for three seasons before entering the NFL, the Eagles weren’t the first team on his mind.

Instead, when Barkley entered free agency, he was pondering a move to the Houston Texans.

Mar 14, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

“Probably the team that had my first interest was Houston. I got to communicate with C.J. and a couple of those boys, but this was before when you could actually put offers on the table and talk to teams,” Barkley said during his recent appearance on the New Heights podcast.

Barkley would’ve made quite the addition to a young Texans team that is fresh off being one of last season’s biggest surprises. 

In their first season under coach DeMeco Ryan, the Texans made a return to the postseason for the first time since 2019 thanks to a pair of award-winning rookie campaigns from quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson.

Considering the Texans went 10-7 without a consistent run game, Barkley's signing would’ve been an upgrade. However, despite his early interest in the Texans, Barkley revealed that it was his family ties in Philadelphia that led him to sign with the Eagles. 

“I probably never imagined myself playing for Philly six years ago, but I get to come back to Pennsylvania, my family is from Pennsylvania, my lady, our kids, grandmas all that is from Pennsylvania, and we’re already close and we can even get to get closer and get a chance to compete,” Barkley said. “I got to admire them from afar, admire what he was able to build over there and get to be part of that culture. It was a no-brainer for me.”

This past season, he finished with 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries in 14 games. While he didn’t break the 1,000-yard benchmark on the ground, he did surpass it in yards from scrimmage at 1,242. 

Now, after making his return to Philadelphia, Barkley will hope to help the Eagles get back into Super Bowl contention.