Atrás
The NFL Trade Deadline is a little more than two weeks away and we're getting a more realistic picture of the buyers and sellers. The reality of the NFL Trade Deadline, however, is that the blockbusters we see are normally a rarity. Impactful moves are made, no doubt, but they are made most often in deals that fill out the margins of rosters. As football fans, we would obviously love to see bigger trades be made, especially ones that make sense. And there are several at least plausbile blockbuster NFL trades that could be made that would be a dream for fans.
I can't overstate the idea that some of these are only good in theory and won't actually happen. However, these dream NFL trades would undoubtedly turn the league on its head if they were to transpire before the Nov. 10 deadline.
We're starting off these trades with the most realistic of the bunch. What's happened with the Jacksonville Jaguars and former first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. is both bizarre and completely explainable. Thomas was drafted under the watch of a different regime and is seemingly just not a good fit in Liam Coen's offense. Yet, there's evidence from BTJ's rookie season that he has the skill set to be a legitimate force in a passing offense, just a different one than the Jags'.
That being the case, how do the San Francisco 49ers not make this call? Brock Purdy and Co. just lost their first game of the season in a stunner against the Falcons, but have been rolling before that. More impressively, they got off to a 6-0 start despite a roster's worth of wide receivers going down injured. Even Mike Evans, who just missed Week 7, has been playing through stuff to this point. They need more depth and another weapon, which Thomas would certainly be — not to mention how fun of a complement he would be to a healthy Evans in this Kyle Shanahan offense as well.
The Detroit Lions stand out on this list because they're more likely to be buyers than sellers at the trade deadline, especially coming off of their big-time win over the Packers in Week 7. At the same time, though, the conversation around tight end Sam LaPorta leading up to that game was about his desire for a new contract and Detroit's apparent unwillingness to give him one. If that still remains the case, then perhaps they could get the best of both worlds by working a deal with a team like the Los Angeles Rams that could use an upgrade among their pass-catchers.
With Davante Adams out for most of the rest of the regular season, the Rams are light in the way of difference-makers in the passing game. Yes, they have Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, but it's a thin roster outside of that group. But adding LaPorta has a pass-catching threat would be a shot in the arm and even give Sean McVay the opportunity to boast a more dynamic and dangerous offense moving forward as the Rams try to climb out of their 2-4 (now 3-4) hole. Packaging a mid-round pick and one of their rotating cast of tight ends would seemingly work to get such a deal done.
The way the winds are blowing for the Indianapolis Colts seemingly suggests that a fire sale is coming. At the forefront of that and perhaps the most valuable piece that the organization in flux might be willing to part with is running back Jonathan Taylor. He's continued to be one of the most impressive runners in the league, but was also signed to a two-year, $44 million extension this offseason that runs through the 2028 season. If Indy is about to rebuild, getting value for Taylor that's somewhat commiserate with what the Panthers got for Christian McCaffrey ultimately makes sense.
And it's something that the Denver Broncos should consider. I also like Taylor as an option for a team like the Minnesota Vikings, but there are more impactful dream trades for them. As for Denver, they've gotten sporadic play from the likes of RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins and even Jonah Coleman this season. But not one of their current backs in the stable is as singularly impactful as Taylor would be in this offense behind a good line. They might be unwilling to make such an aggressive deal because they already traded so heavily for Jaylen Waddle, but if they feel like it moves the needle enough, maybe it happens in the end.
Again reiterating that the Colts are going to be selling off parts this season from everything we're seeing, Quenton Nelson is among the most fascinating names being discussed. There's a case for Indianapolis to still hang onto him given how important the offensive line is to the infrastructure, but he could also be a highly valuable piece that could recoup some quite valuable draft capital for the Colts moving forward after some miscues under now-fired general manager Chris Ballard.
If Nelson is at all attainable, that's the call that the Green Bay Packers need to make — not the one for Jonathan Taylore. The run game in Green Bay has largely been woeful this season, and we saw in the Week 7 loss to the Lions as Josh Jacobs returned that even an upgrade at running back isn't going to fix that. The offensive line is the issue and, while they've patchworked a serviceable group together, they need more talent in the trenches. Nelson would be the tone-setter and someone who could very much set this Packers offense ablaze down the stretch.
To put it lightly, the situation with the Philadelphia Eagles has devolved dramatically fast. Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots, Lane Johnson retired, Cam Jurgens was traded and the injury report is roughly as long as a large print edition of Moby Dick. Suffice it to say, it doesn't feel like the Eagles are far off from hitting the reset button, and I'll pound the table until I'm kicked out of the cafeteria that Philly should, in turn, be more than willing to trade Saquon Barkley.
Teams like the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings would be popular destinations, but why not also look at the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. While Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been a star and Emanuel Wilson is coming off of his best game of the season, the run game needs a ton of help. Barkley is the type of dynamic presence and pass-catcher that would lessen the pressure on someone like Zach Charbonnet to save the rushing attack ang give the Seahawks substantially more teeth offensively.
Considering that Maxx Crosby was essentially on his way to Baltimore in the offseason, the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders have followed up their 3-0 start with four consecutive losses leads me to believe that they should revisit the possibility of trading their star edge rusher. Yes, he's been a critical cog in the success that they've had, but the Raiders have made it clear in the past month that they're still not quite ready to be a playoff contender, which raises questions about their timeline. At just 29 years old, Crosby is and will continue playing at a high level, but for how long. More pointedly, will his elite performance continue until Fernando Mendoza and everything else in Vegas get rolling?
That's something that the Chicago Bears should force the Raiders to ask themselves by calling about Crosby. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are clicking majorly right now. But while the Bears defense has shown some improvement, the weakness and lack of juice on the defensive front is still evident. Crosby can singlehandedly change that outlook and give the Bears an in-road to becoming not just back-to-back division champs, but potential NFC favorites as well. Outside of the Brian Thomas Jr. trade, I might consider this one the most realistic deal on this list.
Let's be clear, there's a non-zero chance that the Los Angeles Chargers will trade Justin Herbert at some point if the current state of affairs end up being prolonged, specifically with the quarterback. It's just highly unlikely that move would come at the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline. Given all of the reporting around the Chargers right now, they don't seem to even be interested in any drastic measures, despite the team's appalling lack of success. Yet, maybe they should be thinking about that with all of the help this roster needs and the bonanza of first-round picks that trading Herbert would net LA.
There's no better fit for such a trade than the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL's last remaining undefeated team this season. This team has gotten off to an unbeaten start in spite of its offensive limitations in many ways. Kyler Murray has been middling at best when healthy this season and a quarterback upgrade in terms of overall talent — and likely a guy who might just need a change of scenery at this point with Herbert — could be a rising tide lifting all ships. Pairing Herbert with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Brian Flores' defense would potentially make Minnesota the immediate Super Bowl favorite.
Again, just to reiterate, there are very few indications that the New York Jets are going to sell off a guy who, according to the four-year extension they gave Garrett Wilson, they believe is part of their long-term future. At the same time, though, I'm also not saying it would be the worst idea for the Jets. Especially with young weapons like Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq starting to emerge, New York could leverage its draft capital even further beyond their three first-round picks in 2027 and set up an even stronger foundation for the future.
And that's something that the Chiefs would likely have to jump at when it comes to their situation. Given the legal troubles and injuries for Rashee Rice, Kansas City appears unlikely to invest heavily in a long-term future there. Couple that with Travis Kelce's looming retirement and the pass-catchers for Patrick Mahomes are starting to look thin. Wilson is a true WR1 who has produced in spite of subpar quarterback play in Gotham. Pairing him with Mahomes could mean magic and give the Chiefs a three-headed monster to build a new dynasty around with Mahomes, Wilson and Kenneth Walker III.
Atrás
Top
| Declaración de privacidad Términos del servicio Contacto |
Refresca
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.