NFL Trade Deadline Rumors: Where Could These 9 Big Names End Up?

It’s not necessarily accurate to call the Eagles’ trade for former Titans S Kevin Byard a blockbuster deal, but adding a productive starter with two All-Pro selections under his belt at a major position of need definitely qualifies as a splash, perhaps the biggest trade splash of the season so far. 

Is it the start of more action with less than a week until the NFL’s trade deadline on October 31? Or is this as good as it’s gonna get? 

There are still some big names floating around in trade rumors as we get closer to the cutoff, nine in fact that stand out from our 2023 NFL Trade Catalog as blockbuster-worthy. A lot has to happen for these kinds of deals to come together, so today we’ll take a closer look at the logistics around each individual player and the possible new teams they could be playing for in November. 

Star Edge Rushers Headline The Available Options: Brian Burns, Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Danielle Hunter

For teams looking to add impact players to their roster during the season ahead of the trade deadline, finding a pass rusher is one of the best things they can do. Compared to other positions, there’s less of a mental transition to learning the playbook, and it’s easier to have a big impact in a part-time role while ramping up for more. 

The good news for potential contending teams looking to make a splash is that there are a plethora of big-time pass rushers who could be available this week. The headliners are: 

• Panthers OLB Brian Burns
• Commanders DE Chase Young or DE Montez Sweat
• Vikings OLB Danielle Hunter

All of them have slightly different situations which will dictate any potential fits. Let’s start with Burns. Carolina infamously turned down an offer from the Rams at the deadline last year of two first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 plus a second-rounder to keep Burns, but was unable to come to terms on a long-term extension this summer — and they didn’t appear to get all that close. 

Burns is playing out the final year of his rookie contract on the fifth-year option at a sum of $16 million and the Panthers will presumably use the franchise tag on him this offseason before trying again to work out a deal. But since the Panthers don’t currently have a first-round pick, there’s potentially an opening for a team that really likes Burns to pry him away. Only the Panthers know how far they’re willing to go to re-sign Burns, and if they don’t want to pay him what he wants, he’s their best trade chip to recoup assets to build around first-round QB Bryce Young. 

Young and Sweat are grouped together because the Commanders will likely only trade one of them if they trade any at all. This was set in motion when Washington declined Young’s fifth-year option this offseason, putting him in a contract year along with Sweat who is playing out his option year on an $11.5 million salary. Both are having outstanding years, setting themselves up for monster paydays in 2024 and putting Washington in a predicament. 

Next offseason, the team will have just one franchise tag to use to ensure one of either Young or Sweat doesn’t reach free agency. Signing both isn’t impossible but this kind of situation gives the players enormous leverage in talks. Limiting the Commanders further is that they’ve already dedicated a ton of money to their defensive line with big deals for DT Jonathan Allen and DT Daron Payne. It is more likely than not that Washington will have to let either Sweat or Young go after this season. 

Either player would presumably put the Commanders in line to receive a third-round compensatory pick but that would come in 2025 and Washington would have to operate carefully not to cancel it out with other additions. If the Commanders instead traded one of their young defensive ends before the deadline, they would get far more in return. Last year the Broncos got a first-round pick for OLB Bradley Chubb, who turned around and signed a major extension with the Dolphins. Either Young or Sweat would command at least that much. 

The catch is it would be a major loss for the rest of the season, and nearly everyone in charge of making football decisions in Washington needs a big year to stay on with new ownership taking over this summer and evaluating changes. If HC Ron Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew traded Sweat or Young for a first-round pick, the odds are they won’t be around to make it. That makes Washington’s situation fascinating to watch in the next few days, as reports indicate they’re still waffling on whether to be sellers or not. 

One last thing; at this point, it’s probably fair to say Young’s value is a tick higher than Sweat’s even though the latter has been the more productive and proven player to this point. Young still has the benefit of being younger and the league will likely see the former No. 2 overall pick as having higher potential than Sweat, who remains an outstanding player. Young is also cheaper to acquire right now with just a $1 million base, so there are fewer upfront gymnastics to fit his contract onto the roster in a trade than there would be with Sweat, even if both players would likely sign extensions promptly after a deal. 

Hunter is in a contract year and currently leads the NFL with nine sacks, coming back with a vengeance after a few years with bad injury luck. Although this is his ninth year in the league, he’s turning just 29 in a few days and looks to be squarely in his prime. After some uncertainty this offseason about his future which included fielding trade calls from other teams, the Vikings signed Hunter to a reworked one-year deal that included a $10 million base salary. He’s set to be a free agent in 2024, and up until recently, it seemed like Hunter checked all the boxes you want to see for a potential deadline blockbuster: talent and availability. 

Then the Vikings upset the 49ers on Monday night and the situation changed. A loss would have put the Vikings at 2-5 and near the bottom of the NFC, but the win leaves them at 3-4 and squarely in the mix for a wildcard berth. It doesn’t mean the Vikings won’t still listen to offers but you have to think it impacts Minnesota’s willingness to pull the trigger on a deal. At minimum, teams interested in Hunter will have to come stronger with their offers. Maybe the Vikings would have taken a third-round pick before — now it seems like a second will have to be put on the table to make it worth their while. 

Teams Potentially In The Pass Rushing Market

Now that we’ve outlined some of the star edge rushers who could be available — Burns, Young, Sweat, Hunter — here are the teams who could be interested, listed in alphabetical order. 

49ers

I think the 49ers might be flying a little under the radar as we approach the trade deadline in terms of teams who are motivated to make an acquisition. Consider the following: 

• San Francisco leads the NFL with $40 million in available cap space right now. 
• They could roll over all of that to 2024 when they currently have a projected $1 million available — but they currently don’t have any major free agents to re-sign next year. 
• Starting QB Brock Purdy is making $870,000 this year, $985,000 in 2024 and won’t be eligible for a new deal until 2025, at the earliest. That’s a ton of flexibility to spend on the rest of the roster. 
• There’s some star power on the defensive line with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead, but the edge rushing spot across from Bosa is up in the air with Clelin Ferrell, Drake Jackson and Randy Gregory. There’s a lot of room to upgrade and create an overpowering strength. 
• Multiple 49ers beat reporters have said not to rule out San Francisco making an acquisition, and potentially a bigger one than the pick swap with Denver for Gregory. Two straight losses after a dominant 5-0 start might have increased the urgency for the 49ers as well. 
• San Francisco is finally back in the black in terms of draft capital. They own all their premium picks going forward and have extra third-round picks in 2025 and 2026 from the NFL’s minority hiring incentive after losing exec Ran Carthon to the Titans GM job and former DC DeMeco Ryans to the Texans as their new head coach. 

To me, this says San Francisco should be one of the leading contenders to watch ahead of the deadline as a landing spot for one of these star pass rushers. The best fit would be Hunter, as in terms of bang for your buck he’s as productive as any of the four and would require the least in terms of draft capital and contract. The 49ers would only have to take on about half of his $10 million salary as the other half would have already been paid by Minnesota. If they choose not to re-sign him this offseason, they could also get comp pick back, blunting the acquisition cost even further. 

The 49ers do have the capability to take on one of the other star edge rushers, though. Purdy’s contract gives them enormous flexibility over the next couple of seasons in terms of fitting stars under the cap. It’s not out of the question they could give up a first-round pick for Young (which would likely fall later in the round anyway where the success rate for picks drops off), and still sign him to a lucrative deal to pair him up with his former college teammate Bosa. They can’t keep everyone forever, but if it results in a Super Bowl, the cost is well worth it. 

Bears

Chicago is different from the other teams on this list in that they’re not a contending team looking to stack the odds a little more in their favor. The Bears are squarely in rebuild mode and looked like a team that might get the No. 1 pick for the second straight year a few weeks ago. Usually that’s not the profile of a team looking to buy this time of year. 

The Bears might be feeling a little bit more pressure to get some results, however, after that gnarly start, even though they’ve since pulled out of it some with a 2-2 record in the last month. Bears GM Ryan Poles has struggled with filling the premium positions on the roster, with the exception of the trade for WR D.J. Moore. Perhaps he goes back to the same formula to try and solve the Bears’ glaring need at edge rusher. Guys like Burns, Young and Sweat would fit the bill. 

However, it’d be a tough sell for the Bears to give up first-round picks even though they have two since both will likely be high in the round and they might be in the quarterback market this offseason. Chicago could hope to get a slight discount by offering their second or a package of multiple Day 2 picks. 

Jaguars

It wasn’t necessarily as smooth a path as some people expected before the season, but through seven weeks the Jaguars are sitting in first place in the AFC South with a 5-2 record. They’re positioned to potentially do some damage in the playoffs but there are still questions about how they stack up to the other top teams in the conference. 

The pass rush is one area of concern. The Jaguars are 28th in the NFL with 13 sacks and 20th in overall pass rush win rate as a defense, via ESPN. Josh Allen leads the team with seven sacks and last year’s No. 1 pick Travon Walker seems to have taken a little bit of a step forward, but this defense needs more punch to hold up in the heavyweight bouts that are to come. 

Hunter has been a popular name to mention as a target for the Jaguars, with former Vikings GM Rick Spielman even writing a piece about it in his new career as a media commentator. Apparently the two sides were even in talks about a deal before the Vikings ended up deciding to keep Hunter with a raise. He fits the scheme and fits the profile of what a contending team like the Jaguars would be looking for with an acquisition. There would be a few logistical hurdles, like making sure they can cover the $5 million or so of Hunter’s remaining salary while having enough cap space to operate over the rest of the season, as well as with the conditions tied to their second, third and fourth-round picks in 2024 from the Calvin Ridley trade. Nothing impossible, however, as long as Minnesota is actually willing to trade Hunter. 

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay has said he doesn’t expect his team to be players at the trade deadline, unlike in past seasons, as they don’t have the assets to work with. In one way, he’s right. The Rams are incredibly cap-strapped this season and that would be a major factor in any players they would acquire. They’re missing seventh and fourth-round picks in 2024 and fifth and seventh-rounders in 2025. 

But for the first time in years, the Rams own their own first-round pick in the upcoming draft. They were interested in Burns at the deadline last year and still have all of the picks they were offering Carolina. Edge rusher remains a massive need, as the Rams have just 12 sacks on the season and one of their starters in this transition year is converted defensive tackle Michael Hoecht. Might Los Angeles still be a sleeper team to watch in a deal for Burns? 

Let’s start with why it wouldn’t work. Burns is still owed about half of his $16 million salary for 2023 and the Rams have $4.3 million in available space. The dynamics of the trade are different this time around, too. Last year, Burns was more valuable since he still had half a season left on his cost-controlled rookie deal and the Rams’ picks were less valuable since they were two years out. This year, Burns is a little less valuable without the benefit of being cheaper and the picks are more valuable since they’re closer. There’s also the optics dynamic of the Panthers settling for less after having the chance to get more from the Rams a year ago. 

Now let’s apply a lesson I learned about the Rams years ago. Instead of pointing out the obstacles, point out how the Rams could find solutions if they’re motivated. We know they love Burns, their offer last year is clear proof of that. In the past, the organizational philosophy has been that first-round picks, especially later in the round, are overvalued compared to bonafide starters at premium positions. They still have one restructure lever to pull with DT Aaron Donald that could get them enough cap space to onboard Burns’ contract, with $57 million in 2024 cap space plenty of dough to handle a long-term deal. 

You could apply this same logic to a potential deal for Young, although we don’t know if the Rams like him as much as they like Burns. Bottom line, never rule out the Rams, even if it’s not as likely this year as it has been in the past. 

Ravens

The Ravens lead the NFL in sacks right now with 29 and have done it without a true star edge rusher. Their sack leader is DL Justin Madubuike with 5.5 and five players have at least three QB takedowns. Jadeveon Clowney leads the edge group with 3.5 and veteran Kyle Van Noy, who wasn’t on the team until late September, has three. If the current approach is working, Baltimore might not be inclined to shake things up. 

However, they have to be mentioned considering their status as contenders and general willingness to explore their options on the trade market. The extension for QB Lamar Jackson this offseason clears up a lot of long-term uncertainty over what Baltimore’s books will look like, so the Ravens at least have a constant to work with even if they have limited flexibility to fit other deals around Jackson’s. I can’t see the Ravens being quick to part with draft picks since hitting on those has extra importance now that they’re paying Jackson franchise quarterback money, but they could poke around and hope for a bargain with one of these edge rushers. 

Seahawks

Seattle is an interesting team to consider because overall the defense has been strong to start the season, and since it’s loaded with young talent the obvious expectation is that it will continue to get better. The Seahawks have 23 sacks on the season and have been doing a good job of generating pressure, but like the Ravens they also don’t have that one elite edge rushing presence. They also just lost veteran OLB Uchenna Nwosu for the rest of the season with a torn pectoral. 

That will mean bigger roles for Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor and rookie Derick Hall, all three of which are second-round picks on their rookie contracts. Mafe is tied for the team lead with four sacks and is one of the NFL leaders in pass rush win rate, while Hall has played a little more sparingly so far. Taylor has 1.5 sacks in a rotational role as well. 

Hunter would make a lot of sense as a replacement for Nwosu for the rest of the season if the Vikings were willing to move him. The Seahawks do have an extra third-round pick to work with in 2024, though I can see them being willing to roll with the young players on the roster and not want to overcommit to Hunter. Nwosu just signed an extension this summer and will be back in 2024. The expected signing of DE Frank Clark also might satisfy Seattle’s need here. 

You can’t completely rule out the Seahawks from making a much bigger splash with a player like Burns or Young, but considering how much they’ve already invested in their edge rushing group, it feels a little more unlikely. 

 

Titans RB Derrick Henry

When the Titans traded Byard, who was a key starter and team leader on defense, it immediately launched speculation about who else they would be willing to move. Titans RB Derrick Henry was one of the biggest names to come up. He’s in the final year of his contract and is about to turn 30, so it would make a lot of sense for the rebuilding Titans to send him to a contending team with interest. 

The rub is it does not appear there is much of a market for Henry. There have been trade rumors surrounding him going back to the Combine, yet he’s still in Tennessee. A report from the Athletic last weekend said the Titans were open to trading Henry but didn’t have a significant market for him. 

For as outstanding as Henry has been over his career, the lack of interest isn’t that surprising. Henry is still productive despite his age but his $10.5 million salary in 2023 is a huge obstacle to a deal. Most teams who need running back help will lean on cheaper options already on their roster or available to sign, not splurge for Henry. The veteran is also not a fit for a lot of offenses being run around the NFL. He’s at his best in traditional, under-center formations where he can build up steam, and where he can get a big enough workload to wear down the defense over the course of a game. Only a handful of teams still operate philosophically in that way. 

If Henry is traded, there are two teams who I see as potential fits, and it’s not a coincidence that both are in the AFC North. The Ravens have had some injuries to their running back group and currently employ a committee approach. While they are becoming more pass-heavy, they still lean on the run a lot and will want to do so even more later in the season. 

The Browns are the other squad, as they continue to lose running backs to injury. First it was Nick Chubb going down with his season-ending knee injury, now backup Jerome Ford has an ankle sprain and veteran Kareem Hunt is banged up. With all the uncertainty at quarterback, the Browns need to rely on their running game even more now, and Henry is the type of running back who is good enough to build an offensive identity around. 

Broncos S Justin Simmons

Outside of edge rusher and receiver, safety was the other position in our trade catalog with a plethora of available options for needy teams. Byard wasn’t the only big name floating around, as amidst all of the defensive struggles in Denver there’s a sense that no one on that side of the ball is truly unavailable, save perhaps CB Patrick Surtain II. That includes S Justin Simmons, who has been one of the top five players at his position for a few seasons now. 

Simmons has missed a couple of games this season, including the Broncos’ worst defensive performances, and while his return has helped Denver to some better results the past two weeks on that side of the ball, he’s still not blameless in the struggles. More importantly, Simmons’ long-term future with the team is in some question. In 2024, the Broncos can save $14.5 million by cutting him, along with a number of other prominent veterans. Given the way Denver’s season has gone, it feels more likely than not that radical changes are in store. Just like the Titans did with Byard, it makes sense for the Broncos to take picks if they can get them rather than losing Simmons for nothing next offseason. 

There’s a key difference in that Byard was making just $4 million this year and Simmons has a $14.4 million base salary, so the Broncos will need to eat a significant chunk of change in a deal. There’s a template out there with the Byard deal for the Broncos to follow to get a fourth or fifth back from a contending team looking for secondary help, and it does seem like there are a number of those teams this year. 

The Dolphins are set to get back some major reinforcements in the secondary at cornerback, and they could fortify things even further by going after Simmons. One safety spot is locked up with Jevon Holland, but the other one has been in flux between DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones. Dolphins DC Vic Fangio knows Simmons well and Simmons already knows the scheme from Fangio’s days in Denver. The Broncos would need to eat pretty much all of Simmons’ salary this year, but at this point it might be worth it to get a fourth or a fifth back. 

Dallas has come up as a team potentially willing to make additions, including to the secondary. The division-rival Eagles’ move for Byard could prompt them to make a similar move. Simmons would slot in with Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse and allow DC Dan Quinn a little more flexibility on how to deploy those three. Right now Simmons would be an upgrade over both, assuming he can pick up the scheme relatively quickly. 

If the Broncos are willing to trade inside the AFC West, the Chargers could be an interesting option. Los Angeles has been banged up a lot at safety and HC Brandon Staley’s defense has struggled. The team is 2-4 and Staley needs wins to stay off the hot seat. He runs a similar system to what Simmons has played in for most of his career and was a position coach one year for the Broncos, so the two men would have at least a little bit of familiarity. Chargers GM Tom Telesco typically doesn’t like to trade draft picks, but he’s on the hot seat too if things don’t turn around. 

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy, Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins, Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow

Receiver is annually one of the positions with the biggest intrigue leading up to the trade deadline, and that’s only increased with the position’s growing importance. The impact doesn’t match the hype sometimes, but regardless. If there are fireworks at the deadline this year, it’s a good chance they’ll come from one of these three players. 

Jeudy’s name has been regularly mentioned in trade rumors for over a year dating back to the deadline in 2022, then again throughout the offseason and of course this season with the Broncos’ struggles. Denver did pick up his fifth-year option to lock him up for the 2024 season at a salary of just under $13 million, so there’s still not necessarily a rush to move him unless the team decides they don’t want that sum on their books. That would be a clear change of course, as so far the Broncos have exhibited a lot of faith in the former first-round pick breaking out eventually. 

Jeudy is still only 24 and there’s no question that the overall offensive struggles have impacted his lack of production so far. The Broncos can’t bank on potential forever, however, which is why Jeudy’s name keeps coming up in trade rumors. If another team offers a second or a third-round pick, Denver has to very seriously consider it at this point. The catch is a Day 2 pick like that is a risk at this point for an acquiring team based on what Jeudy has shown in his career so far. 

For a team to be comfortable with that level of risk, they’d have to have a real high evaluation of Jeudy that supersedes to a point what he’s put on tape. There are a ton of teams who could use receiver help, and we’ll get to them in a moment. But the team that checks the familiarity box the most is one you might not necessarily think of right away — the New York Jets. 

Back in 2020, the Jets did a lot of work on the receiver class, including Jeudy. He was a popular mock draft pick for the team in the first round at No. 11, at least in the mocks where he slid that far, but the Jets ended up passing on him for LT Mekhi Becton as GM Joe Douglas emphasized improving the trenches to protect then-QB Sam Darnold. Jeudy landed in Denver with the No. 15 overall pick, where his WR coach was Zach Azzanni, who had known Jeudy since high school and had recruited him hard to go to Tennessee instead of Alabama. Now Azzanni is in New York, along with former Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett who Jeudy of course played for last year. We don’t know what Hackett thinks of Jeudy necessarily but it does mean Jeudy has some familiarity with the offense coming in. 

Receiver isn’t necessarily thought of as a need for the Jets, but outside of Garrett Wilson who is a star, the rest of the group is pretty lacking. Adding Jeudy would be adding another receiver who can create separation for whoever is at quarterback, whether it’s Zach Wilson this year or Aaron Rodgers next year. The Jets don’t have a second-round pick in 2024, but they do have three fourths which they could use to sweeten a deal with a Day 2 pick in either 2024 or 2025. 

Perhaps it’s too much of a long shot, but the personal connections to Jeudy are notable and make the Jets stand out from the other teams. To go through that list with some quick hits: 

• The Panthers will be connected to every receiver under the sun but don’t have a lot of spare draft capital to give up unless the Broncos just want to dump Jeudy’s salary. 
• ESPN confirmed the Colts engaged in some trade dialogue regarding Jeudy, but their interest was described as minimal and the report says Denver initiated the conversation. 
• The Patriots have a lot of Alabama connections to lean on for intel about Jeudy, including HC Bill Belichick’s relationship with HC Nick Saban and QB Mac Jones. They could use some help at receiver too but it’s not clear how much they’d be willing to give up or if they view Jeudy as an upgrade. 
• The Lions could use a little extra firepower at receiver as they look to cement their contending status but they might not be willing to give up a lot of draft capital. 
• Dallas is another potential buyer at the deadline. They could use someone with more separation skills to plug into their starting trio but the Cowboys seem content with Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks complementing star WR CeeDee Lamb for now. 
• The Giants need help at receiver long-term, but might not want to give up both picks and take on Jeudy’s contract. 

These teams are also the teams to keep in mind when we look at the two other notable receivers who realistically seem available ahead of the deadline in Hopkins and Renfrow. Hopkins signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Titans after flirting with a few different options. Despite his talk about wanting to sign with a contending team, it was obvious when he agreed to the deal that Tennessee stepped up with the most lucrative offer. 

Hopkins is owed just a veteran minimum base salary for 2023 before his total compensation goes up to $14 million in 2024. None of that is guaranteed, however, so there’s minimal risk for an acquiring team. Salary should not be a major obstacle in a trade like it was earlier this year, but there are other new ones with draft pick compensation and team fit. For instance, the Panthers and Giants need long-term pieces at receiver, not one-year rentals. 

The Patriots showed a lot of interest in Hopkins before he signed with Tennessee, so they’re a logical fit to consider, especially given the struggles of their receiving corps this season. Starting X WR DeVante Parker has been inconsistent on the jump ball targets he’s gotten this season, and Hopkins would be a marked upgrade and a potential safety blanket receiver for Jones to lean on. 

Another sneaky fit to consider is the Lions. Right now they have a starting trio of Amon-Ra St. Brown in the slot, Josh Reynolds outside and either Kalif Raymond or Jameson Williams in the third spot as a deep threat. Hopkins would potentially be an upgrade over Reynolds as a contest catch threat outside and give the receiving corps more depth overall to better absorb injuries. However, at this point in his career Hopkins might not be as big an upgrade over Reynolds as would appear at first glance, and Detroit loves the veteran receiver and his rapport with starting QB Jared Goff. 

Finally, Renfrow has come up in trade rumors for a while too, with the big impediment appearing to be his salary in 2023. He’s owed $6.5 million in total 2023 base salary, all of which is guaranteed. Teams are likely pushing the Raiders to eat as much of that as they can in order to dump a player they clearly don’t have plans for on offense. While Renfrow has a thousand-yard season under his belt, his best fit is as a slot receiver and that limits some of the options as far as integrating into a new team. 

For instance, while the Panthers don’t seem to be in a position to turn down any help at receiver, particularly a player like Renfrow who has an established ability to separate from defensive backs, they don’t have an opening in the slot right now, as veteran WR Adam Thielen has been tearing things up from there this season. The Lions and Giants are set at slot receiver. The Patriots have a lot of options there too, albeit not necessarily better ones than Renfrow who fits the mold of a lot of players New England has had success with in the past. 

The Cowboys are an interesting fit. While Lamb is the top target and plays a decent amount from the slot, he can win from all over the formation. Dallas has been leaning more on the quick passing game this season and that’s exposed some of the limitations of their other receivers like Gallup and Cooks. Gallup is a boundary receiver who can win on contest balls, while Cooks is more of a speedy deep threat who’s less effective over the middle. Renfrow’s ability to create quick separation on short routes would add an element to Dallas’ offense that they don’t necessarily have right now. But the price would have to be right.