The New York Giants are considering allowing running back Saquon Barkley to test free agency, according to a number of sources.
If that occurs, the 27-year-old running back would undoubtedly have a number of teams vying for his services. Judging on his recent social media posts, one squad may have already captured his attention.
In order to fuel the rumors that he is moving to Houston, Barkley recently followed a number of offensive players on Instagram, including tight end Brevin Jordan, wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Barkley was recently connected to the Texans by ESPN’s Matt Bowen, who said the team would be the greatest match for the former No. 2 overall selection and the current AFC South champs.
The Texans might make a huge move here to acquire Barkley as a dual-threat player in Bobby Slowik’s playbook, especially with Devin Singletary set to reach the free agency market, according to Bowen. Consider Barkley as C.J. Stroud’s underneath outlet in addition to the rushing volume he would provide. Over his career with the Giants, Barkley has averaged 98.8 scrimmage yards, and he would provide even more juice to one of the league’s most potent attacks.
The Texans are loaded with cash ($61.05M in cap space in 2024) and ready to spend big on a top-10 running back who would be an immediate upgrade over what they had last year in Singletary and Dameon Pierce, even though Barkley is likely to command a raise from the $10.09M he made in 2023 under the franchise tag.
Barkley, who was only able to play in 14 games this season, gained 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 attempts. In addition, he added 41 catches for 280 yards and four more touchdowns in the air. With 1,242 yards from scrimmage, he finished 24th in the NFL, and his 10 total touchdowns matched him for 18th place.
Barkley has over 1,000 yards of rushing experience in six seasons and three touchdowns in double figures.
