This season’s NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is still a long way off. Let’s try to get ahead with the latest buzz, names to watch and even some potential trade fits.
We’re only two full weeks into the 2024 season, so the disclaimer here is that, yes, it’s really early. Too early, in fact, to know for sure which teams are going to be looking to add and which teams are going to be dealing away players by the time we get to the first week of November. That makes this a speculative exercise, trying to figure out which players will end up being candidates for trades and which teams will be trying to get them.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin likes to say, “Speculation is a waste of our time,” but he’s speaking from the perspective of a football coach with a new game to get ready for every seven days. We’re looking at this from the perspective of fans, who have the luxury of thinking about the way things could look in six or seven weeks. So here’s our way-too-early look at 15 players who might end up being on the move, for one reason or another, between now and the NFL trade deadline, along with where they could end up. We’ll start with players on defense.
Jump to a position:
EDGE | DT | LB | DB
QB | WR | RB
Let’s start with the messiest current contract situation in the league. The Jets acquired Reddick from the Eagles in April for a 2026 third-round pick. He has yet to play or even practice for them. Reddick wanted a new contract from the Eagles, who decided they’d rather trade him than pay him what he wanted. That only transferred the problem to the Jets, who still haven’t worked out a contract extension with Reddick. He sat out the offseason, training camp and the first three games of the regular season, incurring millions of dollars in fines.
It’s pretty clear at this point he isn’t showing up unless New York pays up. Reddick — who has at least 11 sacks in each of the past four seasons — requested a trade from the Jets this summer, and the team quickly put out a statement saying they wouldn’t do it. But at this point — and after the season-ending Achilles injury to edge rusher Jermaine Johnson — the Jets need to figure out a solution. They can either give Reddick a deal that gets him into the building, or they can move on from the situation and acquire an asset or two that would help them get a player who can impact the edge rush. The latter solution feels more likely at this point.
Potential landing spot: Arizona Cardinals. Yes, the same team that drafted Reddick in the first round in 2017. It’s a different front office and a different coaching staff than Arizona had the first time he was there. The Cardinals’ offense looks as if it could be stellar, but their defense needs help — they are 28th in pass rush win rate at 28.9%. Other possibilities include the Buccaneers, 49ers and Bears.
Ojulari was the Giants’ second-round pick in 2021 and had eight sacks in his rookie season. But the Giants have overhauled their pass rush and have built it around Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (as well as Dexter Lawrence II on the interior). Ojulari is making just $1.58 million in the final year of his contract and could benefit from a larger role elsewhere ahead of free agency.
Potential landing spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are a three-time defending division champion with eyes on the postseason again, and edge rush is a place they could use some more help. Tampa Bay is tied with the Panthers and Commanders for the fewest sacks in the NFL with two. Keep the Raiders, 49ers, Bears, Cardinals and Jets in mind for Ojulari, too.
The former 49er signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Denver before the 2022 season, so he’s in the final year of his contract, making $10 million. Early returns indicate the Broncos could be in for a rough season, and Jones predates coach Sean Payton there, which could mean the writing is on the wall. Jones turns 30 in January, so he’s not likely to be a candidate for a long-term extension with a new team, but he could help a contender as a half-season rental. Jones has six tackles and a QB hit through two games.
Potential landing spot: Chicago Bears. Matt Eberflus’ defense has played well to start the season, but his history tells us he doesn’t believe you can be too deep on the defensive line. Other fits include the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys and Bengals.
The 26-year-old former Buccaneers star signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Eagles this offseason, but he lost the starting middle linebacker job to Nakobe Dean. He sat out the first game of the season because of an ankle injury but was a healthy inactive for the Week 2 Monday night game against the Falcons. Of the $4 million the Eagles gave him, more than half was in the form of a signing bonus, so he’d be an extremely cheap veteran option for a team in need. White had 83 tackles and two interceptions last season in Tampa Bay.
Potential landing spot: Buffalo Bills. They lost Matt Milano to a torn biceps in the preseason and Terrel Bernard to a pectoral strain in Week 2 against Miami. Buffalo could use more veteran support on the second and third levels of the defense. The Raiders and Patriots also make sense.
1:12
Why Harry Douglas lacks faith in the Eagles’ defense
Harry Douglas expects the Eagles’ defensive flaws to be exposed against the Saints in Week 3. (edited)
His emergence was one of the reasons Indy felt good about moving on from Shaquille Leonard in the middle of last season, but Speed is 29 and set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Should the Colts tumble out of contention, he’s a name to watch. Speed already has 22 tackles this season, and he hit triple-digits in 2023.
Potential landing spot: New England Patriots. They just put Ja’Whaun Bentley on injured reserve (torn pec), so this makes sense. The Bills and Raiders are other possibilities.
Unsigned beyond this season, Baker would be an impact player for any team needing safety help at the deadline. He has 18 tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass breakup over two games. The Cardinals would have to be out of contention to consider it, and Baker’s $14.2 million salary wouldn’t be a piece of cake to move. But unless the Cards extend him at some point, you have to think they’d take the call.
Potential landing spot: Philadelphia Eagles. It seems Philly is perpetually on the lookout for safeties, and it is always one of the most active teams on the trade market. The Eagles love to bring in big-name veterans at midseason. Watch the Jets and Browns, too, if Baker were to become available.
The Patriots have looked a bit more competitive than expected so far, but they certainly could fade. And if so, Jones is a player teams were circling in the offseason. Those seeking a cornerback could kick the tires once again, as Jones has 11 tackles this season and is only two years removed from a four-interception season.
Potential landing spot: Atlanta Falcons. A.J. Terrell is a star, but the Falcons could still stand to upgrade the spot opposite him. Atlanta is 19th in interception rate (1.9% of opponent dropbacks). The Chiefs, Ravens and Steelers would all love to add Jones, too.
Note: It’s rare to see quarterbacks traded at the deadline in instant-impact moves. Sure, Joshua Dobbs started four games for the Vikings last season after a midseason deal, and Jimmy Garoppolo finished the season as the 49ers’ starting QB in 2017 after coming over from the Pats. But those were surprise/emergency situations. So I’m not going to spend time on speculation about Matthew Stafford dropping in during October to rescue the Raiders and stuff like that. These are QBs who could be on the move as longer-term plays — you know, what Garoppolo was supposed to be in San Francisco.
He’s on a cheap deal, just turned 25 and he has spent the past six months learning under Denver coach Sean Payton. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Wilson is third on the Broncos’ depth chart behind Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham, and he could hold some appeal to another team as a developmental prospect. He has 33 career starts. but his QBR since 2021 is a very low 33.9.
Potential landing spot: Los Angeles Rams. With Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett behind Stafford on the depth chart, the Rams lack a high-ceiling developmental quarterback. You can question whether Wilson is that, but if coach Sean McVay were to think he could work with Wilson’s game, who knows? The Dolphins, Steelers, Panthers and Titans could be other potential landing spots.
Two days after benching Young just 18 games into his career for Andy Dalton, Panthers coach Dave Canales said the team isn’t trading Young. But wacky things happen in Carolina and plans change quickly. If the Panthers decide they can’t fix Young, who knows at that point? Surely there are teams out there willing to take on a potential reclamation player who was the first overall pick in the draft 17 months ago.
Young is making only $915,000 in salary this year, but an acquiring team would take on a fully guaranteed $10.13 million in salary over the next two seasons, which could be an impediment. That’s also true for the $12.3 million in dead money the Panthers would incur with a deal — and that assumes they wouldn’t have to pay any of the salary to move him. But again, it’s a tough situation to predict.
Potential landing spot: Miami Dolphins. It’s difficult to predict Tua Tagovailoa‘s future in the wake of his third diagnosed concussion. But there is uncertainty in the short term and long term. Coach Mike McDaniel could potentially view Young as a player who could thrive in his quick-release offense. Don’t sleep on the Jets, Rams and Seahawks if Young were available.
1:55
Mel Kiper blames Carolina organization for ‘mishandling’ Bryce Young
Mel Kiper Jr. rips into the Panthers’ organization and owner for mishandling Bryce Young since his career began last season.
OK, here’s one with potential instant impact. Wilson (calf) is too hurt to play right now, and by the time he’s healthy, there’s a non-zero chance Justin Fields will have secured the starting job in Pittsburgh full time. If that happens, would the Steelers move Wilson to a desperate team with an injured QB looking to save its season?
Wilson has a no-trade clause, which means he’d get to pick his spot (or be released) in this hypothetical scenario. And it has been several years since he has shown anything that would make a team want to trade for him. But if someone became desperate, a move could be in play.
Potential landing spot: Miami Dolphins. Again, if they stay in contention and find out Tagovailoa isn’t coming back this season, the Dolphins will be looking for signal-caller options. The Raiders or any contender that suffers an unforeseen injury to its starter in October probably would poke around on Wilson, too.
Other potential QB trade targets: Mac Jones (Jaguars), Jimmy Garoppolo (Rams), Trey Lance (Cowboys)
Johnson was traded from Pittsburgh to Carolina this offseason. He’s 28 years old, averaged 873 yards per season with the Steelers and is making a mere $7 million this year, in the final year of his contract. If you pick him up halfway through the season, you’re paying $3.5 million for a receiver with a solid track record. If Johnson’s production benefits from the switch to Dalton at quarterback in Carolina, he could be the steal of the deadline.
Potential landing spot: New England Patriots. Exceptionally thin at the offensive skill positions, the Pats were in on the Brandon Aiyuk talks when that was a thing. If New England’s defense can keep things afloat, it could make sense to make a move for Johnson and sign him long-term. But the Rams, Chiefs, Commanders and Cowboys would also all love to add a talented WR.
He won’t like being listed here, and as I’ve consistently done when this has come up, I must point out that Adams has not in any way asked out of Las Vegas. The Raiders are playing good defense and throwing the ball well with Gardner Minshew, and it’s possible they hang around in contention, keeping Adams happy to be there.
But remember, we’re speculating, and it’s certainly within the realm of possibility the season and the quarterback situation ultimately don’t go well in Vegas. Adams is making a guaranteed $16.89 million this year, but if dealt midway through the season, he would cost only half of that for an acquiring team. A contender looking for help at receiver could decide that’s well worth it for a player of Adams’ pedigree.
One more note … Adams technically has two years left on his contract after this one, but they aren’t guaranteed. And at age 32, it’s unlikely he gets the Raiders or any other team to pay him the $36 million-plus he’s scheduled to earn in each of the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Potential landing spot: New York Jets. What more is there to say than to remind you of the connection he had with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay? There was talk about the Jets wanting to pursue Adams in the past, and they could certainly give it another try before the deadline. The Rams and Steelers could also use someone of Adams’ talent.
Other potential WR trade targets: Amari Cooper (Browns), Robert Woods (Texans), Darius Slayton (Giants), Treylon Burks (Titans), Kendrick Bourne (Patriots), Christian Kirk (Jaguars)
Carolina feels like the safest bet to be in sell mode at the deadline. Sanders signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers before the 2023 season and has delivered a grand total of 633 scrimmage yards and one touchdown. He slipped behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart last season, and the team drafted Jonathon Brooks in April. Once Brooks is healthy (knee), Sanders could be expendable.
An acquiring team would have to deal with a prorated portion of his $4.02 million guaranteed salary, but no money is guaranteed after this year. Carolina would take on a mere $2.95 million in dead money, plus any portion of the salary it would have to pay as a condition of the trade.
Potential landing spot: Dallas Cowboys. They didn’t invest in the position this offseason and aren’t generating much in the run game so far. Maybe they could use a boost from the outside, considering they rank 26th in yards per rush (3.7). I could see the Chiefs, Raiders or Browns being interested.
Singletary played for Brian Daboll in Buffalo and has been a true lead back so far this season under Daboll in New York, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. But the Giants feel like another team that’s more likely to be selling than buying come early November, and they like Tyrone Tracy Jr., whom they drafted in the fifth round out of Purdue. If Tracy comes on strong, the season starts to slip away and someone comes asking for Singletary, you have to think the Giants would at least consider it.
Singletary does have a $4.75 million salary for next year, of which $3.5 million is guaranteed, so any team interested would be taking on more than just a half-a-year rental.
Potential landing spot: Cleveland Browns. With no timetable for Nick Chubb‘s return (knee), a bit of a merry-go-round at the position in Chubb’s absence and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s experience with Singletary in Buffalo, this would make sense. The Chiefs and Raiders, as suggested above, also need RB options.
0:51
Devin Singletary’s Week 2 fantasy performance
Dive into Devin Singletary’s fantasy stats as he looks to build off of a solid Week 2.
The 2022 fourth-round draft pick has been replaced by free agent signee Joe Mixon and potentially also Cam Akers. Pierce (hamstring) isn’t healthy at the moment, but once he is, he could be a cheap option for a team with a need at running back. He ran for 939 yards as a rookie just two seasons ago.
Potential landing spot: Las Vegas Raiders. They’re trying it with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, and so far, the offensive line isn’t helping either of those guys much. If the Raiders can stay in the race, they might be looking to add here.
