Saquon Barkley is heading to free agency, and the New York Giants running back has his sights set on a major payday.
The Giants are not expected to put the franchise tag on Barkley for the second year in a row, though they haven’t ruled out signing their onetime No. 2 overall pick to a long-term deal if the price is right.
Still, it seems likely that Barkley will be playing for a new team in 2024, and a report from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson indicates he has a favorite target in mind: the Houston Texans.
“The Texans are also expected to explore additional running back options and there are scenarios where they sign more than one running back. The headliner of the running back free agent class is New York Giants star Saquon Barkley, who has targeted the Texans as his top potential destination and has been communicating with Stroud, per league sources,” Wilson wrote.
Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary were Houston’s primary ballcarriers in 2023, combining for 1,314 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 361 carries.
At his best, Barkley, 27, is a more explosive option than either Pierce or Singletary, though he was slowed by an ankle injury this past season, which limited him to only 962 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries, a career-low 3.9 yards per rush.
Barkley did, however, match his career-high with four receiving touchdowns, and in 2022, made his second Pro Bowl while playing in all 17 games and rushing for a personal-best 1,312 yards.