Did Saquon Barkley Prefer Houston Texans to Philadelphia Eagles?

According to reports, now Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley would have preferred to end up in Houston with the Texans.

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

The Houston Texans capitalized on one of the NFL’s best turnaround stories in recent years by going all-in on their superstar quarterback C.J. Stroud while he remains on a cheap rookie contract.

Now considered consensus betting favorites to repeat as AFC South champions, how did Houston get into this position? Well, if their preferred scenario played out, someone else would have been playing most snaps alongside Stroud in the backfield.

According to longtime insider Aaron Wilson, Saquon Barkley wanted to team up with the Texans’ star quarterback.

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

Staying in constant communication with Stroud until the free agency window opened, it appeared Barkley was on his way to signing with the Texans. Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles inked Barkley to a three-year, $37.8 million deal, including $26 million guaranteed.

Once Barkley was out of the picture, Houston pivoted to Joe Mixon sending the Cincinnati Bengals a seventh-round pick for a Pro Bowl-level running back. Soon after, Mixon and the Texans agreed upon a three-year, $27 million extension.

In an alternate reality, Stroud and Barkley are together in the Texans’ backfield, but this scenario with Mixon is a strong alternative scenario to ultimately play out. In terms of annual value alone, the Texans will be saving $3.6 million with Mixon instead. Also, Mixon is only a year older than the former top-five pick in 2018.

When comparing Mixon head-to-head with Barkley over the last three years in certain advanced metrics, it paints an interesting picture:

Mixon = 4.0 yards per carry, 1.6 yards per carry after contact, 76.6 cumulative PFF grade

Barkley = 4.0 yards per carry, 1.9 yards per carry after contact, 68.8 cumulative PFF grade

For the price difference, the value between both running backs isn’t that far off. And with Mixon’s deal really only partially guaranteed for 2025, this could only be a one-year commitment with little financial risk if it doesn’t pan out well.

It will be very interesting to look back on potentially over the next few years seeing how Mixon and Barkley each produce in their separate offenses.