Former Cowboys WR Cole Beasley attempts to lure ex-Giants teammate Saquon Barkley to Dallas

Retired wide receiver Cole Beasley may have played the final four seasons (2019-2022) of his 11-year NFL career outside of the state of Texas -- 2019 through the start of the 2022 season with the Buffalo Bills and two games with the Tampa Buccaneers in 2022 -- but now that the Lone Star State native is retired, he's doing what he can to rep his native land.

The SMU alum and seven-season Dallas Cowboy (2012-2018) kicked off his longest-tenured team's free agency recruiting pitches early by tweeting out a plea to two-time Pro Bowl New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, saying he needs the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to come play in Dallas. Beasley's persuasion angle to Barkley was simple: revenge for the Giants not meeting his demands on a second contract. 

Beasley's pitch may not have completely sold Barkley, but he did at least get a reply. The two were briefly Giants teammates for a few months in 2023. New York head coach Brian Daboll, Beasley's offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, and general manager Joe Schoen, the assistant general manager in Buffalo who brought Beasley to the Bills, signed the 34-year-old wideout to a one-year deal worth $1.2 million last July. Beasley never played in a game for the Giants after being a part of the end of preseason roster cutdowns and floating around on the team's practice squad until a final release on Oct. 20. 

Perhaps disappointed at being released in Buffalo after the 2021 season, Beasley may be trying to get Barkley to leave Daboll and Schoen as a bit of running it up on an old team he felt disrespected him as well. At the moment, there is an opening in Dallas for Barkley with both Cowboys starting running back Tony Pollard and backup Rico Dowdle also set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason. Both Barkley and Pollard were franchise-tagged by their respective teams last offseason.