Once the 2023 NFL season mercifully came to an end for the New York Giants, all signs pointed to star running back Saquon Barkley leaving the storied franchise after six years with the team.

Although the Giants brass supposedly wanted to avoid losing Barkley in NFL free agency, New York had some stiff competition on the open market, with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles aggressively pursuing the two-time Pro Bowler.

Ultimately, Barkley shocked everyone with his decision in free agency as he chose to sign with the division-rival Eagles, making Philadelphia one of the most stacked offenses on paper moving forward with the star running back joining forces with Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.

With the dust now settled on Barkley’s decision to leave the Giants for the Eagles, the new Philadelphia starting running back made an appearance on the New Heights podcast to talk about his decision in free agency and how C.J. Stroud was recruiting him to the Texans via Chancellor Johnson of KPRC 2 Houston.

Saquon Barkley confirms Houston was his top choice entering free agency before ultimately shifting to the Eagles.

Mentions being recruited by C.J. Stroud pic.twitter.com/u5XM17hdh6

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) March 28, 2024

Right out of the gate in free agency, Barkley seemed destined to join forces with Stroud in Houston, which would have greatly improved the Texans’ chances of being a legitimate contender next season and beyond.

However, getting back to his Pennsylvania roots was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up on, and understandably so with all the family connections and the fact he’d make the Eagles that much better and potentially get them back to being a title contender in the NFC moving forward.