Who Are The Big Name Players Still Left On The Trade Block? 

The two biggest events of the NFL offseason, free agency and the draft, are in the books, meaning that for most teams, the most significant roster-building work is done. But general managers are fond of saying that the work of building a team is a 365-day process, and there are still plenty of loose ends to tie up all across the NFL before we get to training camp or Week 1. 

That includes several players featured in offseason trade speculation who still remain on their original teams — far more than usual for this time of year in fact. Summer fireworks are rare in the NFL but the sheer number of players who appear to still be on the block means we have good odds of getting a notable trade in the next few months, maybe even two or three. 

Here’s a case-by-case look at over a dozen notable players who have come up on the trade block, including where things stand now that the draft is over and how likely they are to be traded in the next six months. 

Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey

The Dolphins openly broadcast they were looking to trade Ramsey in the week leading up to the draft but the weekend came and went without a deal. Miami had just signed Ramsey to a market-setting extension in September, and buyer’s remorse over that deal appears to be the reason why the Dolphins are changing course now. Ramsey is scheduled to make $25 million in 2025, $4 million of which the Dolphins have already paid. 

They might have to agree to take on even more to push a trade through. While Ramsey’s deal is structured in such a way as to make a trade relatively easy in terms of cap hit, the $21 million in cash he’s still owed will be a significant roadblock for an acquiring team, especially because he’s also on the other side of 30. There are also cap implications with the remaining dead money on Ramsey’s deal accelerating in a trade, though the Dolphins can mitigate that by doing a deal after June 1. 

It’s fair to wonder if the Dolphins will find a trade partner willing to take enough of Ramsey’s salary to justify trading him away. It’s not like they’re overflowing with quality corners on the roster at the moment. However, the Dolphins seem motivated to make something happen, as does Ramsey, so there are a lot of reasons to think this deal gets done. Ramsey isn’t in his prime anymore but still reportedly generated a fair amount of interest from other teams. Good cornerbacks are hard to find and there are some contending-level teams that still need help at the position. 

Packers CB Jaire Alexander

Alexander was another veteran cornerback who has spent the whole offseason with a metaphorical “For Sale” tacked to his back. After playing just 14 games over the past two seasons, Alexander is set to make a total of $17.5 million this year. None of it is guaranteed, so the Packers could have saved a healthy chunk of cap space by just releasing Alexander. Instead, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has held out hoping for a trade. 

No deal has materialized and it is unlikely that one will. Other teams will have the same hesitancy about paying Alexander over $2 million a game if the pattern from the last two years holds. So far, Alexander has been unwilling to rework his contract to facilitate a trade, and with good reason. If he’s cut, he can pick his next destination, which matters a lot if he’s taking a pay reduction no matter what. 

That’s why there’s been a recent shift opening the door to a potential reconciliation between the two sides after it was treated as a likely conclusion that Alexander would be playing elsewhere in 2025. If Alexander’s goal is to set himself up for the most money and most success possible in 2025, Green Bay stands out given how familiar he is with the team and scheme. For the Packers, they didn’t materially address the cornerback room in the draft and their depth stands out as a major weakness. Mending any hurt feelings and keeping Alexander in the fold for another season on a reduced salary seems like the best outcome for both sides. 

Ravens TE Mark Andrews

Despite some wishy washy language from Ravens GM Eric DeCosta before the draft that opened the door to some speculation, Andrews was not traded and remains in Baltimore. The veteran’s status has been a topic all offseason but all signs are pointing toward him remaining with the team — for now. Baltimore paid him a $4 million roster bonus earlier this offseason and he’s owed $7 million in base salary for the final year of his contract in 2025. He and Ravens HC John Harbaugh have both consistently reiterated their desire for the partnership to continue another year. 

If the Ravens are a contending team like they expect to be in 2025, there’s little reason to think they’d trade Andrews even if $7 million is fairly affordable for another team to take on. Beyond this year, though, Andrews’ status is in question. The Ravens have two other tight ends besides Andrews entering contract years in Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, and Andrews started to see his role diminish in the offense compared to those two last year. With a loaded roster, the Ravens are not going to be able to keep everyone in the coming seasons, and Andrews might end up starting a new chapter of his career elsewhere in 2026. 

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert

Goedert was the other veteran tight end widely believed to be available this offseason. The Eagles indicated all offseason they were willing to move Goedert for the right deal but that didn’t materialize, with the demand lessened by a deep rookie class at the position and the nearly $14 million in cash owed. 

Unlike with Andrews in Baltimore, however, that doesn’t necessarily seem to be the end of things. Eagles GM Howie Roseman has given no assurances about Goedert being on the team in 2025 and reading between the lines of his comments, it still feels like Philadelphia would love to move Goedert to free up cash for the future, similar to why they decided to trade S C.J. Gardner-Johnson. 

There’s a player angle to this too, as Goedert is in the final year of his deal and would likely love a contract extension to give him a little more long-term security as he moves into his 30s. With the draft in the books, a team in need of help at tight end could feel a little more urgency to make a move. Roseman has also shown he’s willing to be patient and wait, so the Eagles could carry Goedert into camp in the hopes that injuries for another team help gin up a market. 

The risk to that would be that Goedert gets hurt and the Eagles end up on the hook for his salary, which is a different wrinkle to this situation compared to when the Eagles were shopping veteran TE Zach Ertz to make room for Goedert a few years ago. If it comes down to it, the Eagles can cut Goedert after June 1 and escape the financial obligations, albeit with no other draft pick compensation coming back in return. 

Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson

Apart from a war of words in early April, there hasn’t been much movement between the Bengals and Hendrickson for some time. The Bengals were supposedly willing to listen to trade offers for Hendrickson but the organization has a notorious history of being difficult to deal with in negotiations and nothing ever really got off the ground. Carrying on the same theme, the most recent reporting had the Bengals’ offer to Hendrickson in the range of $28 million a year — well short of the $34 to $35 million he’s likely seeking to put himself in line with the rest of the pass rusher market. 

With the draft and a chance to add a premium pick to replace Hendrickson in 2025 out the window, the Bengals will be even less motivated to trade Hendrickson. That won’t ease the tensions between the two sides, as Hendrickson is slated to make a $15.8 million base salary in the final year of his contract and has indicated minimal appetite to play on that salary. It feels likely that some kind of holdout or hold in is coming, definitely for OTAs and potentially more. 

We’ll see if some kind of compromise can be reached. As we saw last year with DE Haason Reddick, no one wins in a holdout, either team or player, and the Bengals really need Hendrickson to maintain their Super Bowl hopes in 2025. 

Steelers WR George Pickens

Steelers decision-makers spent much of this offseason saying they didn’t spend a year looking for a receiver to then turn around and create a need at the position again by trading away Pickens after acquiring WR D.K. Metcalf from the Seahawks. Yet Pittsburgh was apparently willing to listen hard for offers for Pickens leading up to the draft. The Cowboys weren’t explicitly named but it’s not a hard dot to connect. 

The rationale for exploring a trade makes sense. Pickens, a volatile player on his best days, is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible for a new deal. Pittsburgh is unlikely to give him one before the season for a wide variety of reasons, including wanting to see more maturity and growth from Pickens, the organizational history of not paying receivers big second contracts and the money already allocated to Metcalf. Had a team been willing to offer a premium asset that the Steelers could have flipped for a solid replacement, a trade could have made some sense. 

Now trading Pickens would just be weakening a roster that is all-in on competing for 2025. That’s why the Steelers are not expected to trade their No. 2 receiver. If the team flops and is dead in the water before the trade deadline this year, it’s possible this could be revisited, but for now a trade seems like a long shot. 

Eagles DE Bryce Huff

There’s been some buzz about the Eagles being open to moving Huff, but little buzz about a market for the pass rusher who was a hot commodity just last year in free agency. That’s how bad last year was for Huff. He had just 2.5 sacks and was relegated to a bit role by midseason. The Eagles still owe him $16 million guaranteed in 2025 which other teams are understandably reticent to take on. 

Philadelphia of course would probably love to cut its losses, especially since there’s little reason to think Year 2 for Huff in DC Vic Fangio’s system is going to go any better than Year 1. They’ll have to eat salary to have any hopes of a trade, however, and it could take some injuries in camp to create a market. Fair or not, Huff’s pedigree as a former undrafted free agent will impact his market but his flashes as a pass rusher mean there should be some semblance of a market if the Eagles pick up enough of the tab. 

Jets RB Breece Hall

There’s been little in the way of concrete trade rumors about Hall but his name did come up in the rumor mill leading up to the draft. The Jets denied it and Hall remains on the roster but the speculation isn’t necessarily unfounded. Hall has been good his first three seasons but maybe not quite as good as the Jets expected. Learning to take what the defense gives to keep the offense on schedule was a point the coaching staff had to make repeatedly. 

Now there’s an entirely new regime in town, one that does not appear as attached to making Hall the feature back judging by HC Aaron Glenn’s comments about wanting to lean more on a committee. Hall is also entering a contract year and it feels like it would be a surprise if the Jets extended him before the start of the season. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll look to trade him but it does seem like they’d be open to the right offer. 

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker

There’s been even less concrete buzz about Walker than Hall, both of whom were second-round picks and the top backs in the 2022 class. Yet Walker’s situation has some parallels. He’s also entering a contract year while dealing with a new regime than the one that drafted him (Seahawks GM John Schneider remains but former Seahawks HC Pete Carroll was the main personnel voice). Walker has also dealt with inconsistency, both with his decision-making as a runner and some nagging injuries the past two seasons. 

The presence of RB Zach Charbonnet on the depth chart behind Walker gives Seattle a more than credible replacement, so if they get an offer they feel is too good to turn down, it would not be surprising to see Walker on the move. 

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins

The Falcons have remained obstinate in their desire to hold out for the chance to recoup some of their significant investment in Cousins last year. That meant keeping him on the roster while more money guaranteed in 2026 and balking when teams didn’t offer to take on more of his salary. Cousins’ no-trade clause and desire to avoid landing in another situation where a team drafts his replacement also contributed to the lack of movement. 

At this stage, there just aren’t any landing spots that make sense for Cousins. Every team has made its plan at the position. The music has stopped and the chairs are all filled. Cousins will be a $27.5 million backup for the Falcons in 2025 unless lightning strikes and an injury clears a spot for him elsewhere. 

Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux

The selection of OLB Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick sparked a lot of speculation about Thibodeaux’s future in New York, particularly because the Giants had to make a call on his fifth-year option for the 2026 season. By picking it up at a sum of $14.571 million fully guaranteed, the Giants have clearly signalled they plan for Thibodeaux to be on the team in 2025. 

Whether or not he’s still in their plans in 2026 is more of an open question. It’s not the cleanest fit with him, Carter and OLB Brian Burns and the Giants have their work cut out for them to try and figure out how to maximize all three. It’s possible by the end of the season that Thibodeaux becomes an apparent odd man out, and at that point his trade market will likely be lower than what it would have been if the Giants looked to move him this offseason. 

Panthers DE Jadeveon Clowney

The Panthers double-dipped on edge rushers last weekend, landing Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the second and third rounds of the draft. They join Clowney, D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones and 2023 third-rounder DJ Johnson in what is suddenly a crowded edge rusher room in Carolina. So it makes sense that the Panthers were exploring their options with Clowney, including potentially a trade. 

He was a solid player for Carolina last season but it makes sense if the team wants to clear the way for some younger options. Clowney is due $10 million in 2025 as things stand now, $2 million of which is already guaranteed. At those numbers, a cut might make more sense for the Panthers instead of a trade, as they could potentially secure offsets for that $2 million if another team signs Clowney for more. 

Browns CB Greg Newsome

Newsome is under contract for 2025 under the fifth-year option for $13.377 million fully guaranteed. There was some chatter early in the offseason about the Browns potentially trading him to offload that salary, but all they would have gotten back would likely have been a fifth-round pick or worse. There’s been little trade buzz around Newsome and a deal is even less likely now that teams have primarily used up most of their spending budget. 

Lions WR Jameson Williams

Williams circulated as a speculative trade candidate ahead of the draft, with the thinking being that the Lions might be willing to move him if they were uncertain about picking up his fifth-year option or eventually signing him to a long-term deal. Detroit both picked up the option and shot down any notion that they were thinking about trading Williams. So nothing appears imminent in any sense. 

However, Williams is worth filing away for next year as a potential trade candidate. The Lions are handing out money like they don’t know there’s supposed to be a recession coming, with a big free-agent deal for CB D.J. Reed and extensions for RB David Montgomery, S Kerby Joseph and eventually DE Aidan Hutchinson. They still have guys like Williams, TE Sam LaPorta and RB Jahmyr Gibbs who will be eligible in the coming seasons, and eventually the cap space is going to run out. Some hard decisions will have to be made, and with the booming receiver market, it feels like Williams’ status long-term might be in some question. 

He’s under contract for two more years so this situation might not come to a head for a little while longer. But any time a team is faced with the prospect of losing a player for nothing in return, the idea of a trade has to be at least considered.