The Philadelphia Eagles are having about as bad a start to the season as a 2-3 team can have. After winning their first two games of the year, the Eagles have lost their past three games, while also being dealt blow after blow when it comes to their roster. As a result, folks across the league believe they may start selling off some spare parts at the trade deadline.
In a somewhat surprising development, star running back Saquon Barkley has become the subject of trade rumors, as he continues to struggle with injuries that limit his production. Philly isn’t necessarily resigned to selling at the upcoming trade deadline, but if it does, here’s a trade pitch that would see the team send Barkley to the Houston Texans.
Texans’ Saquon Barkley Trade Pitch
Texans receive: RB Saquon Barkley
Eagles receive: 2028 second-round pick
Philadelphia is in a strange spot. While it has more than enough talent to contend for Super Bowls, it has struggled to rinse the bad taste out of its mouth from the 2025 campaign. In fact, based on everything that has transpired over the past couple of weeks, it seems like things are trending in the wrong direction for this team right now.
Barkley is unfortunately part of the problem for the Eagles. After racking up a league-leading 2,005 rushing yards in 2024 and helping Philly win Super Bowl LIX, Barkley took a major step back in 2025, and to this point, he’s only rushed 182 yards on 36 carries. Granted, Barkley has only really played in two games (he was forced out of two others with injuries), but that just leads to another conversation about his injury woes.
If the Eagles decide to embark on a mini rebuild of sorts, trading Barkley could make sense. A team like the Texans, who are only 1-4, could be interested in him, as they continue to look for ways to beef up their offense. The front office has continually been searching for ways to improve its rushing attack, and we just saw the team make a splashy move for Marvin Harrison Jr. in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals.
Even at 29 years old, Barkley’s track record makes him a very valuable player, and it is worth noting that he still has two years left on his current contract. The price of that deal may cause some teams to balk at the proposition of trading for him, but Houston is clearly going all-in on this core, which could make moving on from its 2028 second-round pick a worthwhile price if the addition of Barkley manages to help get its rushing attack going.
Would Eagles, Texans Be Interested in This Saquon Barkley Trade Pitch?
It would probably take a lot to convince the Eagles to move on from Barkley, but a future second-round pick would probably get the job done. We already saw Philly ship Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens when it received an offer it simply couldn’t refuse, and considering the concerning trends we’ve seen with Barkley lately, this sort of offer would probably fall in a similar category.
Would the Texans be willing to give up a premium draft asset in order to land Barkley? It certainly isn’t out of the question after watching them trade for Harrison, but that deal also cost them their 2027 second-round pick, so the team would have to be convinced Barkley could be the spark that unlocks their offense. Houston is probably intent on seeing if Harrison can be that guy first, but if he can’t, a blockbuster move for Barkley certainly shouldn’t be ruled out.
Eagles Trade Pitch Sees Them Send Saquon Barkley to Struggling AFC West Team