One of the pitfalls of NFL free agency, especially for fans starved for importing star power, is that sometime the sizzle of veteran stars in free agency can blind fans to some of the real issues with said stars — age, injuries, scheme fit, and such.
That brings us to the Houston Texans and the likelihood that the team improves ifs running back room via free agency this offseason. I think they will do just that, and I can say that with a fair amount of certainty, mainly because the 2023 room wasn’t all that great to begin with. Now, the question becomes “Do they improve via some solid, steady vets, or via a back (or two) who’ve sniffed Pro Bowl status in the last few seasons?”
In the latter category, former Pro Bowler, the name that is most popular among Houston Texans fans has been New York Giants star Saquon Barkley. In 2022, Barkley was a stud, rushing for over 1,300 yards and leading the Giants to the postseason. That led to a franchise tag from he Giants, a tag Barkley reluctantly signed, and he played a so-so season in 2023 as the Giants slid into he toilet.
Barkley’s biggest issue has been injuries, as he’s only enjoyed a couple fully healthy seasons since coming into the league as the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The skills and physical tools are undeniable. When healthy, Barkley is really good, and it looks like there will be no franchise tag this time around, according to the New York Post:
This is one window the Giants are highly, highly unlikely to open for Saquon Barkley.
Teams in the NFL on Tuesday can start placing the franchise tag on players, a two-week period that extends through March 5.
Unlike last year, when the Giants tagged Barkley after failing to come to a long-term deal, there is no real sentiment whatsoever that they are interested in doing that this time around.
So it would appear Saquon Barkley, for the first time in his career, will be open for business in free agency. Obviously, the fact that Texan fans want Barkley is not really important to the ultimate outcome. The Texans and Barkley have to want to get figuratively married. We have no idea how the Texans feels about Barkley, but we may have gotten a glimpse of vice versa.
In the most prominent Gen Z athlete love language we know, social media follows, Barkley at least began flirting with the Houston Texans, as he gave an Instagram follow on Tuesday to several prominent Texans figures, including QB C.J. Stroud and future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt:
I’m not sure what the total message is here, but it’s not nothing! The big question, of course, aside from “Do the Texans even want Barkley?”, is “If they do want Barkley, what’s the cost?” The Texans are among the league leaders in salary cap space this offseason, so they’ve got the money to make a deal happen. If I had to guess, I think a Barkley deal could look something like 3 years, $30 million ($20 million guaranteed).
If both sides can get with that, then maybe we see this:
And we all lived happily ever after.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
