Six weeks of the 2024 NFL regular season are in the books, which means we’re fast approaching both the midway point of the schedule and the newly pushed-back trade deadline. All 32 teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to swap players, and there are plenty of big names rumored to be available.
With that in mind, here are 10 of our own trade proposals as the deadline draws near:
Potential compensation: Conditional 2025 fifth-round pick
Tua Tagovailoa is apparently on track to return to the field this season, despite some medical experts suggesting his concussion history should prompt retirement consideration. Since when has Miami succeeded at putting all its eggs in the Tua basket, however? Lance remains a project, but he flashed his first-round athleticism under Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, and Dallas has kept him strapped to the bench. He’d make for a low-risk, high-upside rental as added Tagovailoa insurance.
Potential compensation: 2025 fifth-round pick
A year after landing Cam Akers in-season, the Vikings could use more backfield depth with Aaron Jones coming off a hip injury. And Pierce has seen his role vary by the week in Houston, where the Texans have gotten good results from both Akers, Joe Mixon and Dare Ogunbowale. His combo of size, speed and power would make for a more well-rounded complement to Jones, who’s key to Kevin O’Connell’s attack but also has an extensive injury history. Anything to keep Sam Darnold comfortable.
Potential compensation: 2025 third-round pick, 2026 fifth-round pick
This one’s been discussed so much it’d be a mild shock if it didn’t come to fruition, reuniting Adams with his former Green Bay Packers teammate in Aaron Rodgers. It also might not be the smartest bet from the Jets’ end, considering how much they’ve already catered to Rodgers, only to end up firing their coach early into a mercurial “all-in” campaign. And yet, if there’s anyone who could help snap A-Rod back into Pro Bowl form due to their extensive history and impeccable chemistry, it’s probably Adams.
Potential compensation: 2025 fourth-round pick
The Chiefs can get by with just about anyone if Patrick Mahomes is under center and Andy Reid is on the sidelines, but it’d be much preferred if they didn’t have to lean so much on rookie speedster Xavier Worthy, plus aging tight end Travis Kelce, in search of another title. Cooper remains a polished route-runner, but he’s seemingly been checked out of Cleveland for months, wasting away in one of the NFL’s most dysfunctional operations. He’s got the makeup to be what Jeremy Maclin was for Reid years ago.
Potential compensation: 2025 fifth-round pick
He was supposed to be part of the 1-2 punch out wide that elevated Will Levis in Tennessee, but the Titans might rather get something for him before his inevitable 2025 free-agent exit now that the flailing Levis offense is off to a 1-4 start. At 32 on a bad knee, his value isn’t through the roof. To a contender like the Bills, however, he could prove vital to a potential stretch run, with Josh Allen currently scratching and clawing to make the most of a remade receiver corps headlined by a rookie in Keon Coleman.
Potential compensation: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Steelers have been sniffing around blockbuster wideouts this year, from Adams to Brandon Aiyuk, but there are an abundance of lower-tier alternatives who could be available. Thielen is one, coming off an injury at 34 for the Panthers‘ stuck-in-mud rebuild. He’s got a much lower ceiling than a playmaker like Adams, but when healthy, he’s remained one of the NFL’s most surehanded possession targets, making him a logical partner for the more explosive George Pickens in Pittsburgh’s otherwise old-school attack.
Potential compensation: Conditional 2025 third-round pick
The Eagles got a conditional 2026 third for Haason Reddick prior to the season, but their prized offseason edge addition, Bryce Huff, has yet to pop. And while general manager Howie Roseman has been burned by in-season bets on aging veterans before, Miller has a history with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, earning his last Pro Bowl nod under the coach with the Denver Broncos. Suspended through Week 8, he’d make for a last-gasp effort to inject the Eagles’ hit-or-miss pass rush with life.
Potential compensation: 2025 fifth-round pick
The Browns have every reason to be sellers, starting 1-5 but boasting a number of quality defensive assets, and Detroit has every reason to be buying at edge rusher, where star youngster Aidan Hutchinson is out indefinitely with a broken leg. Smith has already toured the NFC North, starting with the Packers and also suiting up for the Vikings, and while he’s better suited as a rotational rusher at 32, he’d represent a clear upgrade for a thin unit in Motown, where the Lions are bent on making another run at the NFC title.
Potential compensation: 2025 sixth-round pick
While Jones is easily the Patriots‘ most accomplished cornerback, new coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged recently that New England is just beginning a multi-year rebuild. At 31, approaching 2025 free agency, Jones therefore makes for a logical trade chip. While he’s been more solid than spectacular for years, his experience could be invaluable to Washington, which has a potential playoff contender thanks to rookie Jayden Daniels but has struggled mightily on the back end of Dan Quinn’s defense.
Potential compensation: 2025 fourth-round pick
When at full speed, Baker is arguably one of the NFL’s top safeties. He briefly requested a trade out of Arizona prior to this season, however, while seeking a major pay raise, and missed multiple games in both 2022 and 2023. With the Cardinals struggling on defense and off to a 2-4 start, his relocation prospects could ramp up. And Houston has battled injuries on the back end, with Jeff Okudah and Jimmie Ward both banged up. As a rental for the rest of the season, he could help the Texans’ chances of a deep run.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
October 15, 2024 | 8:40 am
