You’re just going to have to trust me. Earlier this week, this article included potential trade proposals for Trent McDuffie, D.J. Moore and David Montgomery — all of whom actually ended up changing teams. The deals for McDuffie and Moore even pegged their landing spots with the Rams and Bills, and would have been relatively close in terms of the compensation. 

Unfortunately there’s no clean way for me to drop receipts from my Google doc edit history. Maybe less unfortunately, this article is now a decent amount shorter. Still, there were a few other notable trade candidates that I thought were worth watching ahead of the new league year. Those potential deals are outlined below. 

We’ll see if I can stay hot…

(Raiders DE Maxx Crosby and Eagles WR A.J. Brown are not included here. We’ve gone in-depth on each of their situations individually already.)

Ravens trade for Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux

Compensation:

• BAL gets Thibodeaux, 2026 4th (No. 105)
• NYG gets 2026 3rd (No. 80) and 2026 5th (No. 173) 

Edge rusher is a major need for the Ravens heading into next season. Their top starters from last year, veterans Kyle Van Noy and Dre’Mont Jones, are headed for free agency, as is former second-rounder David Ojabo. Van Noy is the most likely of that trio to be back if he finds a cool reception on the open market but the Ravens ideally want to move him more into a rotational role alongside Tavius Robinson (who is entering a contract year) and 2025 second-round OLB Mike Green. 

Firepower is needed here, especially as the Ravens try to get back to contender status under new DC Jesse Minter. He’ll run the same scheme Baltimore has run the last decade-plus, which has a slightly different job description for edge rushers than other defenses around the league. Rushing the passer is important but far from the only thing the system asks. 

Thibodeaux fits the mold. He’s stout against the run and sets a powerful edge. While he’s not the bendiest rusher and it’s held back his raw sack total so far in his career, his physicality would be an excellent trait in the Ravens’ defense, similar to how they got a strong season from veteran DE Jadeveon Clowney. It should also be noted how Thibodeaux’s former position coach in New York, Drew Wilkins, would hold the same role in Baltimore. 

There are plenty of Ravens/Giants connections with new HC John Harbaugh taking over in New York, and the early word is that the team is willing to explore the market for Thibodeaux given its depth at pass rusher and the limited likelihood of signing him to a new contract next year after his rookie deal expires. The contract is a slight complication, as Thibodeaux is due $14.571 million on the fifth-year option. That’s not a bad number for a starting edge rusher but it will cap his trade value and limit the market. 

The Ravens will have cap room when they extend or restructure QB Lamar Jackson, and if they are priced out on some of their high-priority free agents that they’d like to keep, they could pivot. This trade has a lot of moving parts but it works out to a fourth-round value for the Giants while moving them back into the third round. The Ravens move down 25 spots and are still in the top 100 range, and if they don’t re-sign Thibodeaux they could recoup that fifth-round pick or better via the compensatory formula next year. 

Patriots trade for Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Compensation:

• NE gets Pittman
• IND gets 2026 3rd (No. 95) 

When I was sketching out a potential Moore trade for a previous version of this article, I had the Bills giving up a fourth this year and a fifth next year. Past trades for veteran wideouts (and other players) who were due in the neighborhood of $20 million annually like Moore were usually for a fourth or a fifth in value. Even last week, the Browns gave up a fifth-round pick for OT Tytus Howard since they were signing him to a new contract. 

I added the extra future fifth to account for the premium for a receiver, how eager the Bills were to improve the position and any hesitancy by the Bears to part with one of GM Ryan Poles’ favorite players. But I massively undersold the demand. Buffalo gave up a second-round pick and got a fifth back while adding a third year of guarantees to Moore’s contract. This wasn’t a salary dump, this was closer to a trade for a bona fide No. 1 from Buffalo’s perspective. 

That has major implications for other wideouts floating around on the trade market, including Brown in Philadelphia and Pittman in Indianapolis. There are parallels between where the Bears were with Moore and where the Colts are with Pittman. Both teams were financially constricted and have younger, arguably more dynamic receivers to prioritize in the passing game. The Colts are pushing hard to retain WR Alec Pierce, who will be free to test his value in free agency next week because Indianapolis had to tag QB Daniel Jones. 

Don’t count the Colts out from keeping Pierce, but they won’t get a discount. The franchise tag would have been $27 million and he probably is going to get at least on a multi-year deal that thanks to how many receiver-needy teams there are with money to burn. Pierce has had back-to-back seasons averaging well over 20 yards a catch and topped 1,000 yards this past year as he developed into a more well-rounded player. 

If the Colts keep Pierce, that has ramifications for Pittman. There’s the obvious financial component of paying Pierce nearly $30 million per year while having $24 million tied up for Pittman in 2026, which is also the final year of his contract. But there’s a dynamic that Pierce alluded to in a recent interview with Kay Adams. Any team that pays Pierce, whether it’s the Colts or a different one, isn’t paying him to reprise his role as a deep threat. They’ll want more. 

Pierce had just 47 catches last year, which is an average of less than three a game. He showed flashes of being able to do more at all three levels of the field last year, and the Colts also have promising slot WR Josh Downs, TE Tyler Warren and RB Jonathan Taylor. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, and it gets harder to justify the investment in Pittman the further he slips down the pecking order even if he’s been a tough, consistent and steady contributor. 

In some years, the Colts would be forced to just cut Pittman, and they still could since none of his money is guaranteed. The Moore trade makes it clear, however, that the Colts would have a market for Pittman if they tried to move him — and a good one. The Patriots just cut WR Stefon Diggs and have been linked to Brown and Pierce as options for what is now a glaring need at receiver. A third to take on Pittman and his salary is steep, but their hand could be forced by other bidders. I’m specifically watching the Jets, who need a boundary receiver and employ Pittman’s former coach, OC Frank Reich. 

A trade for Pittman would be less expensive than a blockbuster deal for Brown, and it would allow the Patriots to do something to address one of their biggest needs. Patriots HC Mike Vrabel competed against Pittman for years in the AFC South and is well aware of what he can bring to a team. 

Browns trade for Jaguars OT Walker Little

Compensation: 

• CLE gets Little
• JAX gets 2026 5th (No. 147)

Little is on shaky ground in Jacksonville despite signing a new contract at the end of the 2024 season. The Jaguars have first-round RT Anton Harrison on one side, and when Little went down with an injury this past fall, his replacement, Cole Van Lanen, was a revelation. The Jaguars liked Van Lanen so much they signed him to a big deal worth $17 million a year, which leaves Little without a spot in the lineup. He can play guard but the Jaguars have an abundance of interior options, most of whom were signed by the current regime. 

The Jaguars can’t cut Little to clear cap space, of which they are in short supply right now, but they should be able to trade him given how teams are always eager for even average offensive tackles. Little is still just 27 and under contract for two more years at a total of $23 million, with only his $11 million 2026 base salary guaranteed. 

The Browns have pulled off a version of this deal already by landing Howard from the Texans. This would solve the other tackle spot as they execute what looks like a rare complete, five-spot offensive line renovation. They should be able to use the exact same model and they have plenty of mid-round picks to pull it off. 

Little being under contract for two years helps lessen the blow of giving up another pick, and it also doesn’t preclude the Browns from investing in the position in the draft. Rookie tackles can take time to adjust, and by putting in two veterans on either side, the Browns inject a whole lot of stability into what looks like a very uncertain group right now. Little has position flexibility to play guard as well, and it’s worth pointing out Browns OL coach George Warhop was Little’s position coach his rookie year and would have been part of his draft evaluation. 

Rams trade for Colts QB Anthony Richardson

Compensation: 

• LAR gets Richardson
• IND gets 2026 6th (No. 208) 

The Colts have granted Richardson and his agent permission to explore a trade, which will likely close the Indianapolis chapter of his career. His camp has said in the past that he would love to land with the Rams or a similar environment for the next stage of his career, and there’s some reason to think the Rams would have mutual interest this year. 

A trade for Richardson wouldn’t necessarily be a future solution for Los Angeles, which is year-to-year with 38-year-old QB Matthew Stafford. Richardson has just one year under contract remaining and a thin NFL resume to this point. It’s unlikely the Rams would trust Richardson as the No. 2 quarterback for a Super Bowl contender, either. 

But Los Angeles might need to rebuild its quarterback depth chart this offseason with veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo on an expiring deal and seemingly with options in free agency. Richardson could be an upgrade over Stetson Bennett as the No. 3, and would give the Rams a chance to install a package of plays that took advantage of his mobility. New assistant Brian Johnson was the quarterback coach at Florida when Richardson was a true freshman, which is a connection worth monitoring. 

The real benefit of a Richardson trade for the Rams would be to get him in their building, which is as developmentally minded as any in the league, and see if he can make real strides to deliver on the potential that made him the No. 4 pick in the draft. From there, the Rams have options. He becomes more of a known quantity to potentially re-sign and compete in 2027, whether Stafford moves on or not. 

Depending on whether he sees the field and how well he does (or how well his agent and the Rams advertise his contributions behind the scenes), he could sign for a bigger deal and qualify for a compensatory pick down the line, one that could equal or exceed what the Rams give up to land him. And of course, there’s a best-case scenario where he gets pushed into a role because of injury, seizes the opportunity and runs with it. 

Essentially what this trade for the Rams would be is a long-term speculative addition, like the Packers with QB Malik Willis. Green Bay traded a seventh for Willis coming out of roster cuts two years ago and was rewarded with a high-level backup they had to lean on at times and a likely third-round compensatory pick when he signs for a starting job next week. You can argue whether the Rams should be spending a sixth and $5 million on that kind of investment when they’re in possible the last year of a Super Bowl window with Stafford. That could just as easily be an argument to do it, though. 

Cowboys trade for Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard

Compensation: 

• DAL gets Greenard
• MIN gets 2026 5th (comp), 2027 2nd)

Whichever team misses out on trading for Crosby or signing former Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson as a free agent is going to have to pivot. There are a ton of pass rushers in free agency and the draft but only so many top-tier options, particularly for a team like the Cowboys that might be just out of striking distance in both categories. They pick at No. 12 and No. 20 in the first round, and while they should be able to create some spending room, they might not be able to afford the bidding war for Hendrickson. 

The trade market has presented an interesting alternative this week with reports that the Vikings are listening to offers for Greenard. Minnesota was tens of millions over the cap coming into this offseason and has had to cut RB Aaron Jones, DT Jonathan Allen and DT Javon Hargrave despite all three having partially guaranteed contracts. Greenard won’t be cut but Minnesota apparently would be willing to part with him and clear his salary for the price of a Day 2 pick. 

Last year was tough for Greenard with just three sacks in 12 games as he played through a shoulder injury. The two years before that, though, he combined for 24.5 sacks in two outstanding seasons for the Texans and Vikings respectively. He turns 29 in May and had his shoulder fixed, so theoretically he offers impact pass rusher potential at more of a bargain price. 

Greenard is due $38 million in total over the next two years. For an edge rusher market that has ballooned over $45 million annually, $19 million a year for double-digit sacks seems like it would be good value for the Cowboys. One catch is that Greenard, also aware of this disparity, has indicated he would like a market update to his contract, and a trade would give him the leverage for that. The Cowboys would have to thread that needle with both Greenard’s agent and Minnesota. 

For the sake of the proposal, though, let’s say he agrees to play in 2026 with just modest incentive adjustments since he’s coming off a bad season and has no guarantees on either of the two years remaining. It would be a bit of an overpay to offer a second but the Cowboys need to rebuild their edge rusher room almost from scratch, and Greenard might be one of the best available options. If he plays on his current contract, that 2027 second (Dallas already traded its 2026 second for DT Quinnen Williams) is more palatable. 

Chargers trade for Packers OL G Elgton Jenkins

Compensation: 

• LAC gets Jenkins, GB 5th (No. 158)
• GB gets LAC 4th (No. 123)

The expectation has been that the Packers would be forced to release Jenkins as a cap casualty. But if the market for interior offensive linemen is as hot as it looks just a few days out from free agency, then Green Bay has a commodity of some value in the 30-year-old Jenkins. He was limited to just nine games with an injury last year but has 94 starts under his belt at all five offensive line positions. 

Jenkins is due $20 million in cash which will hold down his trade value and is the reason the Packers are strongly considering releasing hi in the first place. But a pick swap would be a way for them to extract some value as opposed to just cutting him and have some sway in his destination. The division-rival Bears just had a glaring need at center open up and it would be less than ideal to cut Jenkins only to have to play him two times a year. 

Sending him to the AFC solves that problem. The Chargers are poised to be remaking their entire interior offensive line after C Bradley Bozeman retired and G Mekhi Becton was released. Fellow G Zion Johnson is a pending free agent as well and the Chargers might not want to pay the freight he’ll command. Even if he returns, that’s two more spots Los Angeles needs to fix. 

The Chargers are also undergoing a slight schematic shift with new OC Mike McDaniel, who wants more athletic linemen as opposed to the hog mollies former OC Greg Roman deployed. Jenkins is a great fit here with his background at tackle and could slot in at either guard or center for the Chargers. A pick swap like this, which is the equivalent of a sixth-round value, also saves Chargers GM Joe Hortiz from having to give up a precious draft selection. 

Another team worth watching here is the Cardinals. They have Packers HC Matt LaFleur’s younger brother, Mike, running the show, and he brought over longtime Packers coach Nathaniel Hackett as his offensive coordinator. Jenkins could start at a couple of different spots up front for Arizona if they have the budget worked out.