NFL trade deadline targets: 23 players who could be on block
The NFL’s annual trade deadline is a week away, this year expiring at 4 p.m. ET on Halloween (Tuesday).
And while some clubs could use this as an opportunity to get scary good – or bad − unlike the NBA or Major League Baseball, seismic swaps of football stars are usually more exception than rule. The league’s salary-cap ramifications and nature of the game itself – particularly the difficulties of adapting to a different culture, playbook and/or terminology as opposed to plugging into right field – make blockbusters relative rarities.
And yet the 2022 deadline was an outlier, Christian McCaffrey, Roquan Smith, Bradley Chubb and T.J. Hockenson among notable players who were packaged.
To date, Monday’s maneuver of former All-Pro S Kevin Byard from the Titans to the Eagles has probably been the most prominent to go down this season. Otherwise, it’s been mid-tier moves involving the likes of RB Cam Akers, WR Chase Claypool (again), WR Mecole Hardman, CB J.C. Jackson and WR Van Jefferson. Also, various reports have already signaled Raiders WR Davante Adams, Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins – he has a full no-trade clause anyway – will be remaining with their current employers.
Additionally, there’s the matter of the deadline falling at the season’s midpoint, a juncture that might tamp the aggression of some general managers. With Week 7 just completed, 24 of the league’s 32 teams are either currently in playoff position or just one game out of a wild-card spot. Monday night alone, Minnesota's upset of the NFC West-leading 49ers might have precluded the Vikes (3-4) from becoming the sellers they seemed destined to be following a 1-4 start.
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But, hey, it’s the NFL – and things can change in a flash, especially with a full 16-game schedule set to unfold in Week 8. With that in mind, here are 23 bigger-brand players to monitor who might just find themselves on the 2023 trade block:
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy
His production (25 catches, 286 yards, 0 TDs), body language and recent comments suggest relocating from Denver would be in his best interest and the team’s. The primary question is whether another club is willing to roll the dice on the 2020 first-rounder’s talent while taking on the fully guaranteed $13 million salary Jeudy is owed in 2024.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans
Tampa Bay plays at Buffalo on Thursday, so the Bucs will have extra time to stake out their position – and falling to 3-4 might push them toward sell mode. Evans is currently a lame duck after he and the team failed to reach an extension before Week 1. Now 30, he’s still highly productive – trying to post his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season (most ever to start an NFL career) and has averaged nine TD grabs through his first nine years. And, at 6-5 and 231 pounds, he’s the kind of power forward who will always thrive in the red zone.
Buccaneers LB Devin White
The fifth overall pick of the 2019 draft, he issued an unfulfilled trade request earlier this year. White is a bit of a boom-or-bust player, prone to huge splash plays – like the ones he regularly made during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run – but also often caught out of position. Still, he could be quite an asset in the right system if GM Jason Licht opts to move him rather than try to re-sign him next year.
Cardinals S Budda Baker
Contract and injury issues have swirled around the five-time Pro Bowler all year. But he was back on the field Sunday (6 tackles at Seattle) and might be the kind of player who adds a spark to another team while getting rejuvenated himself. And there’s contractual flexibility here given Baker is owed no guaranteed money in 2024.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown
He hasn’t been the No. 1 target Arizona had hoped for prior to his acquisition in 2022, but the pending free agent could be the deep threat a better team needs to open up the field and playoff possibilities for the rest of 2023.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler
Eventful few months as he’s battled the front office for more money in the final year of his team-friendly contract, then a lingering ankle injury. But when right, few backs are more productive or versatile than Ekeler, who’s scored a league-best 39 touchdowns since the start of the 2021 season and averaged 81 receptions over the previous four campaigns. Obviously, he should be a big part of the Bolts’ plans … but if they drop to 2-5 Sunday night?
Colts CB Kenny Moore II
A few thoughts on Indianapolis at large here. Hard to see the Colts hanging around the playoff periphery deep into the season, and their ability to build toward the future will be limited by the absence of rookie QB Anthony Richardson following his season-ending shoulder surgery. Also, GM Chris Ballard has never used the franchise tag, which greatly reduces the probability his soon-to-be free agents will be around in 2024. Put Moore, 28, one of the game’s premier slot corners, into that category.
Colts RB Zack Moss
One guy Ballard has recently paid is RB Jonathan Taylor … so seems like the optimal time to export Moss, whom Indy acquired at the deadline last year. He's been stellar to date, largely in Taylor’s stead, averaging more than 100 total yards a game and nearly a TD per. But Taylor’s touches are inevitably ticking up, and Moss has no long-term future here. Why not find a place where he can continue to contribute heavily in 2023 while getting something for him?
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.
He’s been a very solid performer during his four seasons, a guy most teams would probably love to have – as their WR2. Maybe Ballard will try to retain Pittman next spring as part of Richardson’s supporting cast … but maybe it’s time to move on if another team is willing to ante up for the former second-rounder.
Commanders CB Kendall Fuller
Most defensive coordinators will tell you they can never have enough capable corners. Fuller, 28, has been a very solid all-around player for most of his eight-year career and can make the big play – including a pair of pick-sixes in 2022. But he’s not elevating the league’s fourth-worst defense, so Washington would be wise to consider offers for a player with an expiring deal.
Commanders DEs Montez Sweat and Chase Young
Hard to envision a scenario where Washington is able to re-sign both pass rushers after the season. Young (24) is younger and has the higher ceiling but only recently seems to be recapturing his pre-knee injury form. Sweat, 27, is more reliable on the availability front and can be counted on to provide eight or nine sacks annually and had a career-best 28 QB hits in 2022. Interesting scenario that could lend itself to being a buyer’s or seller’s market.
Giants DL Leonard Williams
Dependable, scheme versatile, able to defend the run and pressure quarterbacks … and running out of contract. The Giants are playing better, particularly on defense, but sit stuck in 13th place in the NFC.
Packers CB/KR Keisean Nixon
He’s probably emblematic of the type of player more likely to be changing addresses ahead of the deadline. If you’ve never heard of Nixon, 26, he was an All-Pro return man in 2022 and has earned a bigger role on Green Bay’s defense this year. But he’s not signed beyond 2023 and might fetch the declining Pack a nice bonus pick for a future draft.
Panthers OLB Brian Burns
It’s been presumed the 25-year-old edge rusher and defensive captain will be a long-term component of Carolina’s core – so much so, the team turned down multiple first-round picks for Burns at last year’s deadline, according to an ESPN report. And yet no long-term deal has been struck, Burns expressing his displeasure by sitting out practices prior to the regular-season opener. On one hand, GM Scott Fitterer would have to swallow hard before trading a two-time Pro Bowler at a premium position. On the other, a winless squad might be further away from relevance than many thought and already offloaded significant draft resources earlier this year in order to obtain QB Bryce Young atop the 2023 draft. Decisions, decisions.
Patriots OT Trent Brown
Despite Sunday’s stunning upset of the Bills, New England probably needs to be taking a longer view given its 2-5 mark is tied for the AFC’s worst. Quality offensive linemen are always a commodity, maybe most especially tackles who are equally comfortable on the right or left side. Brown, 30, could help a contender and the Pats if he’s dealt before his deal runs out early next year.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry
Similar situation for Henry, more a traditional tight end who's caught at least 40 balls in five of his first seven NFL seasons but is also in a walk year. (Or, if another team prefers a tight end more comfortable in the slot, Mike Gesicki could be a target.)
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
Bit of a surprise Las Vegas is hanging around with a 3-4 record, good for (a distant) second place in the AFC West. Equally surprising that almost none of the Silver and Black’s relative success has much to do with Jacobs, who’s averaging 49.6 rushing yards per game – basically half his 2022 output, when he won the NFL rushing title for the first time. Having franchised the back before the season, the Raiders have already expressed an unwillingness to pay Jacobs, so why not cut bait and get something more than the compensatory pick they’ll likely be awaiting otherwise?
Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow
Hasn’t been a whole lot of “First And Renfrow” under HC Josh McDaniels, the fifth-year slot and former Pro Bowler who was paid by Vegas’ previous regime now playing about a third of the offensive snaps. Renfrow can perform given the right circumstances, so seems it’s in everyone’s best interest to move him and let a more appreciative team pay his $11.2 million base salary – or some portion of it – in 2024.
Titans RB Derrick Henry
A divorce makes sense in so many ways. “King Henry,” a two-time league rushing champ, is out of contract at season’s end and – at age 29 – is no closer to a Super Bowl ring toiling on a 2-4 team currently tied for 13th place in the overall AFC standings. He’s also been ceding touches to understudy Tyjae Spears. Yet the explosive plays remain there for Henry, who’s on pace for a 1,200-yard rushing season, and he continues to develop into a more effective receiver. Certainly enough tread on his tires to boost another team with brighter short-term prospects than Tennessee's.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins
The 31-year-old former All-Pro is in a similar boat with Henry – aside from the fact Hopkins is under contract through 2024. Yet that could also mean he fetches a little more value for a Titans team that appears to be in transition as more than the half-season rental Henry would likely be. “Nuk” is on track for another 1,000-yard receiving season despite toiling for the league’s 30th-ranked passing attack. Hard to argue he couldn’t make a bigger impact elsewhere, especially if he didn’t have to be the clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill
Also scheduled to hit free agency in 2024, he’s 35 and nursing a sprained ankle. It also seems pretty apparent that Tennessee’s long-term interests are best served by playing youngsters Malik Willis and Will Levis as the franchise assesses the quarterback position for the future. Releasing Tannehill might be the kindest move as it’s unlikely any team would seek his services as an immediate QB1 replacement (unless the Atlanta Falcons continue to get uneven play behind center). But Tannehill certainly could be a valuable backup in a league where so many teams fail to fund more than a stopgap QB2 – a gamble that might make some contender consider parting with a Day 3 pick to fortify its depth chart.
Vikings OLB Danielle Hunter
You’ll never find a team averse to strengthening its pass rush, and what better way to do it than with the guy who currently paces the NFL with nine sacks? However Fat Joe said it best: "Yesterday's price is not today's price." Hunter is scheduled to be a free agent in 2024, but the time to get him was two weeks ago, when the Vikes were spiraling. Now they’ve won two straight and are a half-game out of the projected NFC playoff field. Hunter is probably not untouchable even now, but it will cost fairly high-end draft compensation, in all likelihood, to pry him loose.
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