Report: C.J. Stroud Speaks on convincing Saquon Barkley about joining Texans

The noise around Saquon Barkley has become deafening.

The former 2018 No. 2 overall pick, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler is a pending free agent from the New York Giants and a popular pairing with the Houston Texans after a season where they struggled to run the ball.

Those rumors have only grown louder over the last week when Barkley followed quarterback C.J. Stroud, receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, running back Devin Singletary, and tight end Brevin Jordan on social media. He also liked tweets from Paul Wall pleading with the back to come to Houston.

On Sunday, KPRC reporter Aaron Wilson let it be known that Barkley’s interest with the Texans and their star rookie quarterback was more than simply having fun on social media.

#HoustonTexans #NFLCombine @KPRC2 discussion on Sports Sunday with @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2Ari pic.twitter.com/dMCJWNliBq

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 26, 2024

“Saquon Barkley, it goes beyond him following guys on social media and hitting like,” Wilson said. “It’s a case of him communicating with top players, including C.J. Stroud, about a desire to play here. It is mutual, but they are keeping their options open.”

Wilson was quick to note that the team is open to bringing back incumbent starter Devin Singletary or exploring other options depending on how the market looks. This comes as no surprise, as Barkley is expected to be one of the more expensive free agents at the running back position this offseason.

Whether or not general manager Nick Casserio is able to reel in the Penn State product, it is an incredible turn of fortune for the Texans. A year ago, nobody could have ever imagined top free agents reaching out to the team, much less to their rookie quarterback after only one year.

Barkley joins Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavier Howard as a star player who who has made it public that he would be interested in joining the Texans. It’s unlikely they are the last.

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Houston Texans Considered Among Top Suitors for Several Free Agents

As was discussed in Monday’s post previewing the 2024 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis this week, this should be an extremely active week on the free agency rumor and activity fronts. We have what amounts to a summit meeting with dozens of agents and every front office in the league, so when that happens, expect thing to be popping!

One of the primary activities that goes unacknowledged by NFL employees, largely because it’s illegal, is some form of tampering with soon to be free agents. Technically, teams cannot engage with free agents from other teams until March 11, but when you have this many agents and GM’s in one place, back channels form.

I point that out to let you know that we may very well get some rumors on whom the Houston Texans might be chasing in free agency in a couple weeks! That’s fun stuff! So if you’re looking for a guide as to which names might cross your radar, the odds board at Bet Online is a good place to start.

As it turns out, the Texans are very much in the mix for several running backs and wide receivers, not just Saquon Barkley and Mike Evans. Here’s where the Texans stack up for some prominent names, with commentary from me for each one:

Austin Ekeler Next Team If Not LA Chargers
Baltimore Ravens 5/1
Philadelphia Eagles 6/1
Chicago Bears 7/1
Denver Broncos 7/1
Buffalo Bills 9/1
Cincinnati Bengals 10/1
Houston Texans 12/1

SP: The Texans are seventh on the board for Ekeler, who was banged up for big chunks of last season. In fact, Ekeler’s most noteworthy task performed last year was his organizing the Zoom call where about a dozen running backs convened to essentially bitch about how little money they were making. I’ll pass on Ekeler.

Calvin Ridley Next Team If Not JAX Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons 2/1
Kansas City Chiefs 5/1
New York Jets 7/1
Buffalo Bills 8/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Carolina Panthers 14/1
Houston Texans 16/1
New York Giants 16/1

SP: The Texans are tied for seventh on the board for Ridley, who returned from a gambling suspension in 2022 to cross the 1,000 yard receiving mark in 2023. Overall, Ridley’s 2023 season was merely decent, not the game changing impact some anticipated, and certainly not the impact he showed in his breakout 2020 season in Atlanta. I’m guessing the Texans will look elsewhere for receiver help.

Derrick Henry Next Team If Not Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens 2/1
Dallas Cowboys 5/1
Philadelphia Eagles 5/1
Houston Texans 7/1

Josh Jacobs Next Team if Not Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers 4/1
Baltimore Ravens 5/1
Houston Texans 6/1

SP: Now these two, Henry and Jacobs, are very interesting possibilities for the Texans. Both played collegiately at Alabama, which we know is a borderline fetish for Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans. Jacobs would probably be the pricier of the two, given his age (26 years old), but Henry might be a better scheme fit, and his odometer has way mroe carries on it, so he probably ends up working on a cheaper, shorter deal. Nick Caserio likes cheap, short deals.

Michael Pittman Next Team If Not IND Colts
Tennessee Titans 4/1
Arizona Cardinals 6/1
Kansas City Chiefs 6/1
New York Jets 9/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9/1
Buffalo Bills 10/1
New Orleans Saints 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Cleveland Browns 12/1
Houston Texans 12/1

SP: The most enticing thing about Pittman would be stealing him from a division rival. I think he’s a fine player, but a cut below a guy like Evans on the impact scale. I’m guessing Pittman stays in Indy.

Mike Evans Next Team If Not Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kansas City Chiefs 2/1
New York Jets 3/1
Chicago Bears 5/1
Carolina Panthers 7/1
Buffalo Bills 9/1
Houston Texans 9/1

Saquon Barkley Next Team If Not New York Giants
Houston Texans 4/1
Chicago Bears 5/1
Los Angeles Chargers 6/1
New England Patriots 6/1

SP: Here are the latest odds on the two free agents I wrote about last week. The Texans plummeted down Evans’ board, for some reason, but I think this is a more accurate reflection of his market. I do not see him becoming a Texan. The Texans remain the favorite for Barkley, which I don’t agree with. Despite Barkley’s social media efforts to get to Houston, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Okay, some bonus material, with three interesting trade candidates, or in the case of Alvin Kamara, a salary cap casualty from another team:

Alvin Kamara Next Team if Not New Orleans Saints
Baltimore Ravens 3/1
Dallas Cowboys 4/1
Buffalo Bills 6/1
Kansas City Chiefs 7/1
Tennessee Titans 8/1
Minnesota Vikings 12/1
Houston Texans 14/1

SP: I think there’s a good chance that Kamara’s best days — five Pro Bowls in his first five seasons — are long gone, but with a virtually empty running back room, all scenarios should be entertained by the Texans.

Davante Adams Next Team If Not Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets 4/5 (-125)
Buffalo Bills 8/1
Kansas City Chiefs 9/1
Los Angeles Chargers 9/1
Houston Texans 14/1

Stefon Diggs Next Team If Not Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys 3/1
Green Bay Packers 4/1
New Orleans Saints 6/1
Kansas City Chiefs 7/1
Los Angeles Chargers 9/1
Carolina Panthers 10/1
Detroit Lions 12/1
Atlanta Falcons 14/1
Houston Texans 14/1

SP: I feel like there’s almost no chance Adams gets traded, and with the Bills, I think it’s more likely they smooth things over with the often surly Diggs than trading him away. The Bills are in a clear “win now” mode.