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As the dust settles from this year’s midterm elections, it’s only natural to wonder if the NFL’s trade deadline, which expires at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, will produce a “November surprise” or two of its own.
The New York Jets sprung two last year, unloading perceived cornerstone players Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams in separate transactions that netted three first-round picks, a second-rounder and WR Adonai Mitchell. The Gardner deal, in particular, wound up being something of a last gasp for the Indianapolis Colts under the stewardship of recently deposed GM Chris Ballard, who gave up two Round 1 selections and Mitchell in a swap that’s already aged badly for Indy … though the Jets still have time screw it up on their end, too. But Mitchell and rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq have shown plenty of promise this season.
There’s already been one stunner this fall after the Chicago Bears paid the hefty freight to liberate All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans – though he very much played like he was worth the two first-rounders he partially cost GM Ryan Poles during his highly effective debut in Seattle on Monday night.
We’ll know in the coming days if another superstar unexpectedly gets a change-of-address notification. But here are 21 players – yes some may require suspension of disbelief to some degree, though none are outside the realm of possibility – to keep an eye on ahead of next week’s cutoff:
Teams seeking short-term help or insurance behind center should have targeted previous Cards QB2 Gardner Minshew II (something we telegraphed with foresight). Now Brissett could be such an alternative – though Sunday’s remarkable win at Dallas was a reminder that Minshew was the cheaper alternative with more upside. Any team trading for the statuesque Brissett – who has 73 mostly unremarkable NFL starts on his resume – would have to pick up the remainder of his $9.7 million base salary, which is more than three times new QB1 Minshew’s base compensation. Given Brissett was just demoted to third string in the desert, the better approach might be to wait and see if he’s released after the deadline.
He can set an edge effectively and hunt passers, whether deployed in three- or four-man fronts. Sweat, 29, made a case to be the MVP of Super Bowl 60 for the Eagles after collecting 2½ sacks of Patrick Mahomes in Philly’s blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6-5, 265-pounder is now in the second season of a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the struggling Cardinals but has no guaranteed money beyond 2026. He could be the final piece for a team looking to put a cherry on top of a championship-caliber (or championship-adjacent) defense. And his play has been picking up, Sweat collecting three sacks and 16 QB pressures over the past five games, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Ravens, who play Thursday, could be facing some existential decisions – as far as football rosters go – in the coming days. Currently 4-4 and potentially without QB Lamar Jackson for the remainder of the season, GM Eric DeCosta and Co. might have to take a hard look at their options this weekend given no team is more overspent in 2027 − nearly $46 million in the red on next year’s salary cap, per Over The Cap. Jackson's inability to stay on the field, to say nothing of the $84.3 million cap number he'll carry into 2027, his final year under contract, also make it worth wondering if Baltimore may conclude it's time to cut ties with a player who's also been difficult to negotiate new deals with. What is fairly clear is that Henry, 32, isn’t nearly as effective – or as frequently used – when Jackson isn’t in the lineup. But his tank also obviously isn’t empty and offloading his $11 million salary in 2027 might be the right play for Baltimore while helping a team looking to pay something less than the Jonathan Taylor price for running back help.
While the Browns fell to third place in the AFC North over the weekend, they’re still only one game back of the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet Jeudy, a seventh-year vet with 16 catches this season, doesn’t appear to be a significant part of Cleveland’s current offense … or future plans. He signed a three-year, $52.5 million extension two years ago and responded with his first Pro Bowl effort in 2024. But Jeudy’s production essentially fell by 50% in 2025 (50 catches, 602 yards, two TDs) amid the team’s unsettled QB situation, and he’s fallen into further disuse this year – when the Browns chose wideouts in the first (KC Concepcion Jr.) and second (Denzel Boston) rounds of the draft. A change of scenery could make sense and moving Jeudy, 27, shouldn’t be especially difficult given he has no guaranteed money beyond this year.
Trading a player who had nearly 1,500 receiving yards in 2025 is admittedly a stretch – especially since the Cowboys, even if they lose again this weekend at Indianapolis, still wouldn’t be hopelessly out of the NFC East race. And yet coach Brian Schottenheimer has been openly critical of Pickens, who hasn’t been living up to the $27.3 million cost of his franchise tag this season. Most teams aren’t even in financial position to pick up the remainder of that tab. But it only takes one buyer willing to roll the dice on a sublime talent – and owner Jerry Jones’ willingness to let Pickens go two months earlier than he probably will anyway – for something to come together quickly, especially if the Cowboys can get a better return than the compensatory draft pick they’d likely get in 2028 if Pickens signs elsewhere next March.
From a contractual standpoint, the disappointing Texans couldn’t move some of their top veterans if they wanted to. Clowney doesn’t fall into that category. He’s also 33 and would likely require a fairly defined role elsewhere, though he’s thrived as something of a mercenary in the latter stages of his career. And dealing a $2.5 million base salary is a cinch if a suitor willing to take it emerges.
No player is generating more interest or speculation as the deadline nears. And why not given the Colts are actively dismantling their roster following Ballard’s ouster, and Taylor is the rare player who can join a new team and make an immediate difference? Through 92 career NFL games over six-plus seasons, he’s averaged 107.4 yards and nearly a TD from scrimmage per appearance – rare impact that’s rarely available. And if you’re thinking Taylor, 27, shouldn’t be available after signing a two-year, $44 million extension in August, think again. The Colts would only take a $10 million cap hit next year if they deal him given he has no guarantees in either 2027 or 2028.
None would generate nearly the return of draft capital – nor help ameliorate the Gardner trade – in the manner that Taylor that might. But this trio are all on expiring contracts and could provide valuable depth, if not patch a lineup, for a contender. Downs has already expressed a desire to leave, though crafty vets like Allen and Stewart might be more optimal rentals.
He’s two years removed from being a first-round pick, 23rd overall in 2024, and a massive statistical output as a rookie (87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs). But Thomas’ production was effectively cut in half last year, the Jags’ first under head coach Liam Coen, and it’s plummeted even further this season. Currently operating as basically the fifth wideout, now that CB/WR Travis Hunter seems to be getting more heavily involved in the offense again, it sure seems like Thomas could benefit from a fresh start – and his contract should allow for it.
While first-round picks have fully guaranteed pacts, the bulk of them are paid as signing bonuses, leaving the base salaries as manageable. Thomas is making $1.075 million this season and is due $2.8 million in 2027. His fifth-year option would effectively serve as a balloon payment in 2028, but that will be picked up − or declined − by whomever Thomas is playing for next spring. A deal would mean Jacksonville’s cap hit in 2027 wouldn’t even be $2 million, while an acquiring team would find itself with some options even if a two-month audition with Thomas doesn’t turn out optimally.
The winless Bolts have yet to show any sign of surrender despite an 0-7 record that’s looked as ugly as it would indicate.
Even at 35, Mack, a nine-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year, remains a force in this league – one who’s in the year-to-year portion of his career and unsigned for 2027. And given his age, he might not cost as much to obtain as a player like Sweat – particularly for a team that might be all in for the short run only. Tuipulotu is also on an expiring contract, though the 24-year-old might be tougher to pry away – especially if the Chargers deem him worthy of the franchise tag next year, if not an outright extension.
Johnston, a 6-2, 208 pounder drafted in the first round three years ago, has compelling tools but has also struggled with drops and hasn’t been productive in Mike McDaniel’s offense, though he’s hardly alone. And a fully guaranteed $18 million salary in 2027 could make him a tough sell.
The rebooting Fins certainly don’t need to be in the business of parting with potential foundational players. With four sacks and 34 pressures in six games, Robinson, a first-round pick in 2024 – before the current regime was hired this year – is in the midst of his best season, which makes the 23-year-old an intriguing target. But his age, trajectory and position could make the asking price prohibitive.
He’s thrown 12 TD passes against three interceptions, has averaged nearly 240 passing yards per game and owns a career-best 104.5 passer rating – far superior numbers than he posted with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025 and more in line with his Pro Bowl years in Seattle. The Jets are also 2-6, and Smith, 36, is playing on an expiring contract with a $3.3 million base salary − as if it wasn't already obvious he's not part of the bigger blueprint here. Also, can a team like the Minnesota Vikings afford not to inquire about him?
Is he the Jets’ best offensive player? Probably. Do they seem likely to part with him, too? It wouldn’t seem so, but Wilson, a fifth-year vet who’s only 26, has clashed with Smith and coach Aaron Glenn at times amid this franchise’s ongoing struggle to achieve relevance. Like Gardner, Wilson signed a four-year extension a year ago – and like Gardner’s pact, the base salaries are high, meaning it’s not a very difficult contract to move. If GM Darren Mougey gets another godfather offer for a player who could make all the difference − and for an extended period − in a place like San Francisco, Atlanta or elsewhere, he’d certainly have to listen ... particularly given the progress shown by fellow Jets WRs Omar Cooper Jr. and Mitchell.
Will EVP/GM Howie Roseman embrace the rare the opportunity to be a seller, even with the NFC East still in reach? It's hard to see Philly doing much in the playoffs even if they somehow retain the division crown. Ojomo is a good player on an expiring deal that pays only $3.7 million in 2026, and it's hard to envision Roseman re-upping him given the money already doled out to DTs Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Baun’s been a Pro Bowler the past two seasons and has an excellent nose for the ball. But Roseman would need a compelling offer to part with a player under contract in 2027 and who would generate a $22.3 million dead cap hit in 2027 if he’s dealt.
Now in his walk year in Nashville – and at a time when the floundering Titans clearly aren’t going anywhere, especially after letting Simmons go – Pollard is working on a fifth straight season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and has averaged 42 receptions over the previous four years. He’s also got a hot hand with 292 yards and five TDs from scrimmage over the past two weeks. A pretty good dual threat and one only owed the prorated amount of his $6.7 million base salary this season.
Johnson, a first-round pick of the Jets in 2022, is also coming on with two sacks and 11 pressures over the past three games. Also headed for free agency in 2027, the former Pro Bowler could be a nice near-term addition to any pass rush rotation.
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