Saquon Barkley's Top Potential Landing Spots in 2024 NFL Free Agency
It's beginning to look like New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley will be one of the headliners of the 2024 NFL free-agent class.
The running back class figures to be loaded. Austin Ekeler, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard could join Barkley as some of the biggest names on the market, but it remains to be seen how many will actually become free agents.
In an appearance on 98.7 ESPN Radio, ESPN's Jordan Raanan said the Giants aren't expected to use the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley for a second straight season. He added that it "seems like this is headed for Barkley to hit free agency."
The free-agent market for running backs has been depressed in recent years. However, Barkley should still find multiple teams who are willing to invest in him. Even on a bad Giants offense this past season, he posted 1,242 total yards with 10 total touchdowns.
Looking across the league, his best landing spots are probably teams with a decent offensive line in place and an offense that is one or two pieces away from being dominant. Those teams might be able to afford the luxury of paying a top-of-the-market type deal to a running back.
Here's a look at the top teams that fit that description right now.
Baltimore Ravens
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Barkley doesn't have to look too far to find a new home. A trip down I-95 on the East Coast could land him in a nice situation with the Baltimore Ravens.
First, he'd have the benefit of playing with star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Even under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken this past season, the Ravens were once again one of the best rushing teams in the league. They were first in rushing yards per game, first in rushing attempts per game, and they averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a team.
Gus Edwards had the most productive season of his career at age 28 under Monken. He piled up a career-high 810 rushing yards on 198 attempts with 13 touchdowns. Edwards scored 13 total touchdowns over his first four NFL seasons combined.
Jackson led the team with 821 yards on 148 carries, but it's fair to wonder if the Ravens should lighten his rushing load as he continues to get older. Pairing him with a star running back could be a way to do that.
The Ravens inexplicably didn't lean on their running game in their AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Edwards and Justice Hill combined for only six carries. Adding a more explosive back like Barkley might make the Ravens more likely to be balanced moving forward.
It would take some creativity for the Ravens to carve out enough cap space to sign Barkley. They're currently projected to be $5.7 million under next year's cap, but that's nothing that a few cuts and/or contract restructures couldn't solve.
Barkley splitting the rushing load with Jackson could prolong both of their primes and improve an already elite rushing attack.
Chicago Bears
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If you're looking for a team that could make a Houston Texans-esque leap on offense next season, look no further than the Chicago Bears.
The Bears were just 22nd in DVOA and 18th in scoring this past season. However, the unit could look a lot different next year
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Bears could have their pick of Drake Maye or Caleb Williams to replace Justin Fields at quarterback. They already have a legitimate No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore, and their offensive line paved the way for a ground attack that was ninth in EPA per rush last season.
The Bears also hired former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron this offseason to fill the same role for them. Former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy wasn't able to get the most out of Fields, so Chicago is now pivoting to Waldron, who was in charge of a running back-friendly system in Seattle.
The Bears already have some backfield talent that was successful last season. Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman combined for 1,082 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but Foreman is now set to become a free agent.
Barkley would be an upgrade and should command a high-volume role in an offense that could explode with Williams or Maye under center,
Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals might be a dark horse in the Saquon Barkley sweepstakes, but they would be a good landing spot for the star running back.
The Bengals already have Joe Mixon, who just had 1,410 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns this past season. However, Mixon is heading into the last year of his contract, and the Bengals already made him restructure his deal this past offseason.
The Bengals would clear $6.1 million in cap space by trading or releasing Mixon. They already have $61.4 million in room, so they'd have plenty of space to sign Barkley and address some of their other needs via free agency.
Mixon is also far less explosive than Barkley. He was 15th among running backs in rushing success rate this past season, but he was 41st in breakaway run rate and 22nd in breakaway runs, per Player Profiler. Barkley ranked 41st among running backs in rushing success rate, but he was more explosive, ranking 15th in breakaway run rate and eighth in breakaway runs.
The Bengals offensive line might not be elite, but it is an upgrade over the Giants' unit. If they are looking to add more firepower to their ground game, Barkley could be a consideration.
If the Bengals franchise-tag Tee Higgins, they'd have a one-year window with an offense that features a healthy Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins and Barkley. No defensive coordinators would want to see that.
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Dallas Cowboys
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Giants fans might want to turn away on this one. The possibility of Barkley joining the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys can't be ignored, though.
Team owner Jerry Jones was vocal in the past about wanting to run the Cowboys offense through Ezekiel Elliott when he was still on the team. That strategy didn't go so well once Elliott started showing signs of age, and Tony Pollard was unable to maintain his efficiency as the Cowboys' RB1 last season.
With Pollard now set to hit free agency, the Cowboys could be looking for an upgrade in the backfield.
At 6'0" and 232 pounds, Barkley has the size and power to carry that load and be a better short-yardage option than Pollard. He could also offer help as a receiver out of the backfield. He's had at least 41 catches in every season that he has played more than two games.
More than anything, the Cowboys need to break through in next year's playoffs. Their lack of a run game came back to bite them against the Green Bay Packers. Pollard had only 56 yards on 15 carries, and the Cowboys threw the ball 60 times after falling behind early.
Adding Barkley would give the Cowboys another layer of consistency and explosiveness in the running game. Cap space would be their biggest issue.
The Cowboys are already projected to be $14.3 million over the cap right now, so they'd have work to do before they could sign Barkley. They would have to get more creative than many of the other teams featured here.
Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans are a general manager's dream right now. They have an exciting team with a young quarterback in C.J. Stroud who just won a playoff game in his rookie season and has four more years of a cost-controlled contract.
That's going to allow them to get aggressive over the next few offseasons while putting together a team that head coach DeMeco Ryans can push to multiple playoff runs.
The Texans are flush with cash heading into the 2024 offseason. They rank fourth leaguewide in cap space right now with around $66 million. For context, the three teams in front of them—the Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots—all parted ways with their head coaches this offseason.
The Texans have a lot of elements in place to have one of the NFL's best offenses next season. When healthy, Tank Dell and Nico Collins were great receivers for Stroud, while Devin Singletary racked up a career-high 898 rushing yards behind the offensive line.
Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik should also make Houston an appealing landing spot for Barkley. He's been so impressive in his rise to his current role that he interviewed with five teams this offseason for their head coaching vacancies.
Barkley would give the Texans a dynamic dual threat in the backfield that could help them build on their shocking 2023 success.
Minnesota Vikings
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In New York, Barkley has often had to be a one-man show on offense. The Giants haven't had many game-changing receivers to help him out.
That would change instantly if he signs with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings have questions at quarterback going into next season. Kirk Cousins is set to become a free agent, and he missed the last half of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles.
If Cousins comes back, Barkley could be the final piece for one of the best skill-position groups in the league. If the Vikings turn to a young quarterback, having a strong ground game will become even more important.
The Vikings have opted for a "competitive rebuild" approach over tearing things down completely. They face a serious quarterback dilemma this offseason, but signing Barkley would raise the floor of the offense.
As long as the Vikings get competent quarterback play, it's going to be hard to stop an offense that has wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and Barkley.
Bringing on the star back would give Minnesota flexibility at quarterback because the offense will be powered by a supercharged group of skill players.
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