With the trade deadline approaching on Tuesday, I will be ranking my top 15 trade candidates and potential fits.
Before we dive into it, a couple of notes: Howie Roseman has stuck again as the Eagles made a splash by acquiring Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans. Kirk Cousins will be excluded from this list after the Vikings beat the Niners and improved to 3-4. I also find it highly unlikely the Broncos will trade all-pro CB Patrick Surtain II.
All contract and salary cap data provided by Spotrac. All player statistics provided by Pro Football Reference.
15. Carl Lawson
Age: 28
Contract Status: 2023 – $3.01M
Potential Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens
Carl Lawson has been unable to crack the Jets lineup with all the talent up front. Since being signed from Cincinnati, he has suffered injuries and never lived up to his contract. This season, he has no sacks in two games of action. It is being reported that the Jets are in discussions with two teams and it is expected that he will be moved by the deadline.
14. Adoree’ Jackson
Age: 28
Contract Status: 2023 – $19.08M
Potential Fits: Buffalo Bills, MIami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Giants could look to move other players such as Leonard Williams, Darius Slayton, and Xavier McKinney if they were to lose to the Jets on Sunday, but Jackson is the most likely to be moved. Jackson has lost the CB1 role to rookie Deonte Banks this season, while 6th round rookie Tre Hawkins out of Old Dominion has had an up-and-down season playing opposite of Banks. With the emergence of CorDale Flott, a 2nd year slot CB out of LSU, the Giants could opt to go with a full youth movement in the secondary, as it is unlikely Jackson will be brought back next season. Jackson has played in six games and has recorded two passes defended and 23 tackles. This has been his worst season in coverage in blue.
13. Courtland Sutton
Age: 28
Contract Status: 2023 – $18.27M, 2024 – $17.33M with $7.65 dead cap, 2025 – $17.83M with $3.83M dead cap
Potential Fits: Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens
The Broncos may not go full firesale mode, but I think one of their WRs will be on the move. The way Sutton’s contract is structured, there is an out after 2023 in which not a ton of dead cap would be incurred. He has built a solid connection with Russell Wilson with 31 catches for 351 yards and five TDs in seven games, but the 28-year-old doesn’t fit Denver’s timeline.
12. Jerry Jeudy
Age: 24
Contract Status: 2023 – $3.60M, 2024 – $12.99M
Potential Fits: Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears
Jeudy has been talked about in trade discussions for a long time now and the only reason he ranks ahead of Sutton is due to age. He found himself in the news when Steve Smith called him out, even going as far as to say if any NFL team calls him about trading for Jeudy, he would tell them not to do it. He has recorded 25 catches for 286 yards and no TDs in six games thus far and has not quite lived up to his draft status.
11. Justin Simmons
Age: 29
Contract Status: 2023 – $18.15M, 2024 – $18.25M with $3.75M dead cap
Potential Fits: Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals
Simmons is not the elite player he once was, but he is still a quality vet that can help the back end of a defense for a Super Bowl contender. It is highly likely he will be released after this season to clear up $14.5M cap space by any team that acquires him. He has one INT, one PD, and 28 tackles in five games this season.
10. Jaylon Johnson
Age: 24
Contract Status: 2023 – $3.60M
Potential Fits: Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers
Jaylon Johnson has balled out this year and has really started to hit his stride in recent weeks. Last week against the Raiders, he had two INTs and returned one to the house. He has made it known he wants to be paid. The Bears have a ton of cap space, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they give Johnson an extension because he does fit their timeline. It is always difficult to find a quality corner at this point of the season, so a team may be willing to overpay.
9. DeAndre Hopkins
Age: 31
Contract Status: 2023 – $3.67M, 2024 – $18.25M with $7.85M dead cap
Potential Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens
It seems like everyone on the Titans is available. I can’t tell if Hopkins is really starting to slow down, or if Ryan Tannehill and this offense are holding him back. He has recorded 27 catches for 376 yards and no TDs through six games, but if you take out the 140 yard performance against the Colts, it has been pretty brutal for DHop’s standards.
8. Hollywood Brown
Age: 26
Contract Status: 2023 – $13.41M
Potential Fits: New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys
Hollywood and Kyler Murray (who is rumored to be returning from an ACL injury in Week 10) have established a great connection since their time at Oklahoma, so I would be surprised if Arizona traded him. He has played pretty well this season considering Josh Dobbs is under center with 32 catches for 383 yards and three TDs in seven games. Arizona has a lot of holes to fill, so maybe they don’t want to give Hollywood a big extension. Arizona wouldn’t net a 1st round pick for Brown, which is what they gave up to get him.
7. Budda Baker
Age: 27
Contract Situation: 2023 – $17.9M
Potential Fits: Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys
Baker requested a trade before the season if Arizona wasn’t willing to make him the highest paid safety in football. He spent the first four weeks on IR, and has since come back to record 11 tackles in two games. He is still one of the best safeties in football, but I doubt Arizona is willing to pay a 27-year-old safety given the state of their roster.
6. Danielle Hunter
Age: 29
Contract Status: 2023 – $20.95M
Potential Fits: Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens
Hunter has a league-leading nine sacks, 12 TFLs, and one forced fumble. The Vikings restructured his contract before this season, signaling this was going to be his last year playing up north. Given his age, he is a prime target for a team in Super Bowl contention.
5. Montez Sweat
Age: 27
Contract Status: 2023 – $11.5M
Potential Fits: Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks
Sweat has been a productive edge rusher since entering the league five seasons ago and has continued his strong play logging five and a half sacks, eight TFLs, and two forced fumbles this season. The Commanders have been reluctant to extend both Sweat and Chase Young since they already have a ton of money invested in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. With another loss this week, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these edge rushers is shipped off.
4. Derrick Henry
Age: 29
Contract Status: 2023 – $16.37M
Potential Fits: Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
Henry may not be the player he was once, but he is still a top 10 back in this league who has the ability to take over a game and make a huge difference for a Super Bowl contender like Christian McCaffrey did a year ago. As mentioned earlier, everyone is available on the Titans and it would be smart for them to get a high draft pick for Henry while they have the chance. Henry has rushed for 425 yards and three TDs on 98 carries this season, adding another 117 yards through the air.
3. Chase Young
Age: 24
Contract Status: 2023 – $11.00M
Potential Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions
Declining Young’s 5th year option was clearly a mistake for the Commanders, but given the uncertainty surrounding his knee, it wasn’t such an obvious choice at the time. As mentioned above, the Commanders haven’t shown they are willing to give out big money to either Young or Sweat. If I had to bet on it, I would say they trade one of the two and extend the other. Young has bounced back tremendously this season, recording five sacks and six TFLs.
2. Davante Adams
Age: 30
Contract Status: 2023 – $14.74M, 2024 – $25.35M, 2025 – $44.10M with $15.70M in dead cap, 2026 – $44.10M with $7.85M in dead cap
Potential Fits: San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns
Adams has shown frustration with his lack of involvement offensively and the direction of the Raiders. People started to wonder if Adams would demand a trade once his college quarterback Derek Carr was released, and the whispers have only grown louder. He is still one of the most productive receivers in the league with a line of 46 receptions for 528 yards and three TDs in seven games. The only issue with Adams is the monster contract, but there is a potential out after 2024 in which the dead cap would be both manageable and worth it if the acquiring team were to make a Super Bowl run.
1. Brian Burns
Age: 25
Contract Status: 2023 – $16M
Potential Fits: Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks
An elite edge rusher on the market is a rare sight, especially given the age of Burns. With the Panthers still winless, they may be reluctant to shell out a mega-extension given the timeline of this roster. It was reported last year that the Rams offered two 1st round picks for Burns, which in hindsight, the Panthers should have taken given their lack of draft capital to build around 1st overall pick Bryce Young. Burns has still been a beast on the edge with four sacks, six TFLs, and one forced fumble.
Who here do you think gets traded? What are some potential fits I’m missing? Let me know in the comments below. Embrace debate.
