Barring any late surprises, New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley will hit the free agent market for the very first time in his career.
On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Giants have opted not to place the franchise tag on Barkley this time around. Barkley was assigned the tag last year and ultimately agreed to a one-year deal ahead of Week 1.
Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Dan Orlovsky, proposed the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers as possible landing spots for the 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year:
A do-it-all running back of Barkley’s caliber would make sense for just about any team lacking a No. 1 running back, and both the Texans and Chargers fit that category. Devin Singletary and Austin Ekeler are both headed for free agency after spending 2023 as the RB1 in Houston and LA, respectively.
The Texans (C.J. Stroud )and Chargers (Justin Herbert) both have an elite young quarterback and have ideal opportunities to land more offensive weapons here in free agency. Without a doubt, both of them could use an all-world game-changer like Barkley.
Though injuries have limited the No. 2 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft to 74 games over his first six NFL seasons, Barkley has still managed to post over 1,200 yards of offense four times. This includes a league-leading 2,028 yards from scrimmage in his rookie 2018 season.
