It's bold to say that Joe Mixon may work out better than Saquon Barkley

There really isn't a debate to be had about who the better running back is; Saquon Barkley or Joe Mixon. The answer is Barkley. He's clearly the better player, far more versatile, and has a better track record of success than Mixon. Mixon isn't a scrub by any means, but he's a downgrade from Barkley and one could argue a downgrade from Devin Singletary, the Texans former running back from 2023.

Still, Mixon may provide the Texans with a successful season, but the idea that he may be a better bang for his buck than Barkley is almost laughable. Almost. Yet, there are people out there who really think that Mixon could be the better option for the Texans.

Sports Illustrated's Matt Galatzan suggested such a notion recently in his most recent article. In it, he argued that, dollar for dollar, Mixon may be a better fit for the Texans than Barkley, writing;

""Which, in terms of money, may end up being a better situation for Houston in the long run.""

Now, financially, that may have been the case, before the contract extension. The minute the Texans gave Mixon that brand new contract, the idea that he'd be in a better situation for the Texans went out the window. Sure, Barkley got a lot more money to play for the Philadelphia Eagles than Mixon did for Houston, and for the Texans to have landed Barkley, would have had to exceed what Barkley got from the Eagles.

That said, Barkley's upside is worth the risk financially, as his ceiling is outlandishly high, while his floor is better than most other running back's ceilings. Mixon's ceiling isn't that spectacular against more common NFL running backs and his floor is pretty rough looking.

If Mixon stalls out and hits a wall, then all the Texans did was overpay twice for a guy like Mixon, who has never once shown a fraction of the potential as Barkley. The safer bet as a player, with the better track record of success, seems like the better financial option always.

And that would be Barkley.