Saquon Barkley Reveals Why Houston Texans Were His 'First Interest'

During a recent podcast appearce with Jason and Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley revealed that the Houston Texans were the first team he had interest in during free agency.

Former New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, making him the fourth highest-paid running back in the NFL.

However, the Eagles weren't always Barkley's first interest. In fact, according to Barkley himself, it was actually the Houston Texans that initially caught his eye.

And as he revealed during a recent interview with Jason and Travis Kelce on the New Heights Podcast, Barkley revealed exactly what caught his eye with the Texans.

Nov 13, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26)

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

“Probably the team that had my first interest was Houston," Barkley said in the interview. "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.”

At the end of the day, Barkley of course decided to land with the Eagles, putting him in direct competition with his old team the Giants.

However, according to the Pennsylvania native, his decision to sign with Philly had more to do with getting closer to home and to his family. And that, in combination with the appeal of what the Eagles had to offer in terms of culture and talent around him, was far too good to pass up.

“I never imagined myself playing for (the Eagles) six years ago," Barkley said. "But 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 and get a chance to compete. I got to admire them from afar. Admire what he was able to build over there and get to be part of that culture. It was a no-brainer for me.”

As for the Texans, Barkley's decision to sign elsewhere forced them to change directions, which eventually turned into the trade for Joe Mixon.

Which, in terms of money, may end up being a better situation for Houston in the long run.