Saquon Barkley Rumors: Raiders, Eagles, Bears, Patriots Among Potential Landing Spots

Saquon Barkley's tenure with the New York Giants could be ending, but the two-time Pro Bowler reportedly won't lack interest in free agency.

Per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans are considered to be among the primary suitors for Barkley.

The Giants elected not to use the franchise tag on Barkley after doing so ahead of last year. This doesn't necessarily mean his time in New York is over, as the two sides could work out a contract, but he will have the ability to see what other offers are going to be available.

One of the most popular pairings between a player and team in the lead-up to free agency has been Barkley to the Texans.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reported last week that Barkley has "targeted" the Texans "as his top potential destination" and he's been in communication with quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Texans have a need at running back with Devin Singletary also hitting free agency. Head coach DeMeco Ryans called the 26-year-old "a bright spot" on the 2023 team, but they might also look for an upgrade after he averaged a career-low 4.2 yards per attempt.

The Raiders would be interesting if only because it seems like it would be simpler to bring back Josh Jacobs, who is arguably every bit as good as Barkley without all of the injury issues.

The Bears need playmakers to put around whoever their quarterback is going to be next season. D.J. Moore had a terrific first year in Chicago with 1,364 receiving yards. He had almost twice as many yards from scrimmage as the No. 2 player (Khalil Herbert, 745 yards).

The Patriots are in a similar position to Chicago, except they don't even have the built-in luxury of a No. 1 receiver. Their top priority this offseason appears to be overhauling their quarterback room after back-to-back disappointing years from Mac Jones.

Adding a dynamic playmaker like Barkley would go a long way toward helping New England solidify its skill-position room heading into the draft when it can use the No. 3 pick on a quarterback.

Unless Howie Roseman goes against everything he's ever done at the running back position, it's hard to imagine Barkley ending up with the Eagles. They haven't invested more than $5.4 million in cap space in their running back room since 2017 when they were spending $7.7 million on seven players.

The last individual running back to count more than $5 million against the cap in a season from the Eagles was Darren Sproles in 2016 ($5.1 million).

Barkley was a bright spot on an otherwise inept Giants offense in 2023. He racked up 1,242 yards from scrimmage and 10 total touchdowns in 14 games. It was his fourth time in six seasons surpassing 1,000 scrimmage yards.