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This year’s trade deadline is like a lot of trade deadlines. Lots of names thrown around, some bigger than others. A promise, at one point or another, of a more active market.
And then, more of the same.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been an uptick in trades of late. There has been. But the names involved haven’t been huge, and the numbers are still modest.
From 2015 to ’24, there were, by year, 3, 5, 8, 8, 14, 13, 12, 18, 14 and 18 trades after Oct. 1, respectively; and 1, 2, 5, 5, 4, 6, 5, 11, 8 and 9 trades down in the final hours before the deadline, after the final pre-deadline games were played. Along those lines, this year, there’ve been seven post-Oct. 1 trades, which is two deals behind last year’s pace, one ahead of the league’s 2023 pace, and exactly where we were, numbers-wise, in ’22.
The biggest name involved over the past three years was Christian McCaffrey. Next would be Marshon Lattimore, Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Leonard Williams, Bradley Chubb, Roquan Smith and T.J. Hockenson. All those guys are good players. But bigger names like that are thrown around far more often than guys like that are traded.
So with that in mind, let’s go nuts, and throw some names around.
From my notebook, four days before the deadline ...
• The Dolphins are the first seller to be past their Week 9 game, and their edge rushers have elicited plenty of interest—Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Matthew Judon could be moved. Phillips, still only 26 and in a contract year, might be the one with the most value, despite losing chunks of the past three years to serious injuries. The Eagles are a team to watch, with the question being how far Philly would go to get him (sounds like it’d cost at least a third-rounder). Teams asking about Jaylen Waddle have been flatly told no. But Miami may be more receptive on Minkah Fitzpatrick. There are also fair questions floating around on whether there are guardrails on the current regime, based on the tenor of conversations.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) celebrates after a tackle during the first half against the Cleveland Browns.
Phillips, 26, has three sacks in nine games this season for the Dolphins. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
• The Jets also have edge rushers of interest. The team has no plans to move Will McDonald IV, but is listening on Jermaine Johnson II. Johnson has a year left on his deal after this one, and it sounds like New York would want a second-round pick for him. Veteran DE Michael Clemons is available as well, as is LB Quincy Williams. Maybe the most interesting one here, though, is Breece Hall, who’s the centerpiece of the offense. There might’ve been a point this summer where he’d have gone for a fourth-rounder, but, at this point, even on an expiring deal, it’ll take a Day 2 pick to pry him from the Jets.
• The Saints’ receivers have been the subject of a lot of talk. New Orleans has received calls on Chris Olave, but the team has shown more interest in extending him than dealing him away. Rashid Shaheed, a burner who’s only 27 and in a contract year, has drawn calls ,too, but the asking price of a Day 2 pick has scared teams away to this point. Teams have reached out on CB Alontae Taylor, too, and those calls have reached a similar conclusion, with a similar price tag (Day 2 pick) proving a bit too rich for a guy on an expiring deal.
• The Titans are open for business on anyone but Cam Ward and Jeffery Simmons. They have already dealt Roger McCreary, and have gotten calls on edge players Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones, and tight end Chig Okonkwo. The team plans to be cognizant of Ward’s development as it tries to make sure all the organizational tumult doesn’t affect his trajectory, so they’ll be careful about further gutting certain areas of the roster. One interesting name could be uber-talented-but-underachieving DT T’Vondre Sweat, whom teams have sniffed around on a bit (Tennessee would like to see if a new staff can reach him).
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• The situation in Las Vegas is interesting in that Pete Carroll is trying to build a program, and the roster is so thin that trades could undermine his ability to make progress on that front over the back end of the year. Teams have called on TE Michael Mayer (whom Vegas could actually extend in the offseason) and CB Eric Stokes, and have been told no. Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson has drawn interest, too, and has had his fits and starts with the new staff, so there’s a possibility he’ll get moved. Jakobi Meyers’s name has been floating around for a while, but that’s another spot where the Raiders lack depth. There haven’t been many calls on him, either. With his deal up, he could bring more in a 2027 comp pick than a ’25 trade.
• The Browns aren’t aggressively working the phones to sell off pieces, but tight end David Njoku looks like a name to watch, if Cleveland gets a firm offer and Njoku signs off on the idea—the team would want to do right by him. That said, this is another team that wants to support its young quarterback, for reasons different than Tennessee’s. In this case, it’d be to get as clean a read on them as possible ahead of 2026.
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) leaps over Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
Njoku hasn’t been as dominant this season with the emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., making the veteran a possible trade candidate. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
• There are a few teams in the middle. One is the Commanders, who could use some edge help, but have a few pieces (Javon Kinlaw, Deebo Samuel) that teams may be interested in. Another is the 49ers, who added a player this week, Keion White, whom they believe can be an effective edge that can bump inside in their nickel and is under contract for another year. San Francisco’s a perennial contender, of course, but will be without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner the rest of the year, and has been incredibly beat up in general, which might make them a little more hesitant to spend picks on players coming in for only 2025. And a third would be the Bengals, who haven’t shown an appetite for trading Trey Hendrickson, but have at least fished around on the idea of trading LB Logan Wilson.
• As for buyers, the Vikings and Colts are among a list of teams looking for corners. That market isn’t rich with options, which could make the Rams (McCreary), Browns (Tyson Campbell) and Eagles (Michael Carter II) look smart for striking a little earlier. Indy could also look at adding an edge player, and teams have called to inquire on the Colts’ own surplus of receivers, so a wideout could end up being a chip for them in a trade.
• The Chiefs have sniffed around on a defensive tackle and now are drilling down a little more at running back with Isiah Pacheco banged up. The Patriots are another team that has looked at running back, with edge also on the radar there.
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• As the Chiefs’ outlook has been impacted by a recent injury, the Bills’ approach has been, too, with Ed Oliver down until the playoffs. Buffalo’s taking a hard look at what’s out there at defensive tackle, and has also kicked the tires on its options at receiver.
• The Broncos added 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis at tight end, and they may not be done at that spot yet, if they can find a traditional two-way “Y” tight end to pair with Evan Engram.
• The Lions, Ravens, Commanders and (again) Eagles all have shown interest in adding edge rushers.
• The Giants haven’t signaled much desire to deal off parts (and have told teams no on Kayvon Thibodeauxthus far). But Evan Neal could be had as a reclamation project for someone. Similarly, former first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is now in Cleveland, and could be a depth piece for one of those edge-hungry teams.
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