The excellent running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, Saquon Barkley, is said to have preferred to play for the Houston Texans.
The Houston Texans went all-in on their star quarterback, C.J. Stroud, while he was still on a cheap rookie contract, taking advantage of one of the best turnaround stories in the NFL in recent years. How did Houston get up in this situation? They are currently the clear favourites to win the AFC South again. Well, if their ideal situation had come to pass, someone else would have been playing the majority of the backfield snaps with Stroud.
Saquon Barkley desired to be paired with the great quarterback for the Texans, according to veteran source Aaron Wilson.
Maintaining continuous contact with Stroud until the opening of the free agency window gave the impression that Barkley was headed towards a contract with the Texans. Rather, Barkley signed a $37.8 million, three-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles that included a $26 million guarantee. After Barkley was cut, Houston turned to Joe Mixon, trading a seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a running back with Pro Bowl calibre. A short time later, Mixon and the Texans reached an agreement on a $27 million, three-year extension.
In a best-case scenario, Barkley and Stroud are together in the Texans’ backfield; nevertheless, the scenario involving Mixon has a good chance of coming to pass. With Mixon in place, the Texans will save $3.6 million in terms of value alone each year. In addition, Mixon is just one year older than the previous 2018 top-five selection. An intriguing picture emerges when Mixon and Barkley are compared head-to-head over the last three years in a few sophisticated metrics:
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.
The value of the two running backs isn’t all that dissimilar in terms of cost. Furthermore, if Mixon’s deal doesn’t work out, there may just be a one-year commitment involved and little financial risk because it is truly only partially guaranteed for 2025. Possibly in the coming years, it will be fascinating to reflect on how Mixon and Barkley perform in their respective offences.
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