The Philadelphia Eagles acquired an elite running back this offseason, but they almost missed out on him. Saquon Barkley has revealed that there was an AFC team he nearly joined before signing with the NFC East club.
It has been a very shocking 2024 offseason. During this free agency market, several players decided to join new teams, with Saquon Barkley betraying the New York Giants to play for the Eagles, their NFC East rivals.
The running back grew tired of the empty promises made by the Giants and opted to join the Eagles. However, he came very close to avoiding this issue altogether by joining a team in the AFC.
Saquon Barkley reveals that he wanted to join the Texans before the Eagles
The Houston Texans almost got an elite running back for C.J. Stroud. The AFC South team needed a player for their backfield, and Saquon Barkley was really interested in joining their cause this offseason.
Prior to signing with the Eagles, Barkley began following several players from the Texans on social media. Fans started speculating if this was a hint regarding his next team, but he ultimately decided to sign with Philadelphia in a surprising move in the NFL.
“I’m going to be honest, that’s what this show is for,” Barkley said during an interview with Travis and Jason Kelce. “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.”
Saquon’s departure to the Eagles shocked everyone, as they are direct rivals of the Giants. However, the running back revealed that their offer was very attractive and he wanted to return to a place he loves.
“I probably never imagined myself playing for Philly, you know, six years ago,” Barkley said. “But it was like ‘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.”
Why did Saquon Barkley leave the New York Giants?
Earlier this year, Saquon Barkley said that he didn’t want to leave the New York Giants. He was very comfortable playing in the Big Apple, but it seems like their offer was not good enough to continue with them.
According to reports, the Giants made Saquon Barkley an offer below the $11 million per year, compared to the $12.58 million he will make per season with the Eagles.
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Which team would have been better for Saquon Barkley?
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