The 11 trades we want to see this NFL offseason: Barnwell finds new homes for 15 players
Bill BarnwellFeb 16, 2026, 06:40 AM ET Close Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X’s and O’s, offseason transactions and so much more. He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast, with…
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Bill Barnwell
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It has been only a week since Super Bowl LX, but it’s already time for NFL teams to start thinking about offseason trades.
Deals can form in moments if teams have existing relationships, but more often, trades take time to put together. Front offices want to negotiate with multiple suitors for the best offer. General managers weigh their chances of improving their rosters in free agency before going with alternatives via trades, which involves talking with agents and getting a sense of whether they’re likely to land a player. It’s a lengthy process.
We’re less than a month from the start of the new NFL league year in early March, when we usually see the juiciest trades. Today, I’ll put together 11 trade proposals that might make sense for both sides. You shouldn’t be surprised — the only thing I love more than a real trade is a mock one.
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Though it would be fun to put together some massive offer for Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, I’ve tried to focus on players who will be subject to trade discussions in the weeks to come. In some cases, that includes veterans who are either soon-to-be free agents or potential cap casualties. I’ll try to lay out the argument for why a player is likely to be a trade target, what I believe is a fair return and where he could land.
I’ve tried to use historical returns to form the expected trade value, but as we’ve seen from the deals for players such as DeAndre Hopkins and Quinnen Williams in the past few years, outliers still happen. And obviously, most of these deals will involve draft capital. Let’s get started.
Jump to a trade involving …
Kyler Murray | Mac Jones | Tanner McKee
A.J. Brown | DJ Moore | Brian Thomas Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr. | Walker Little
Maxx Crosby | Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kenny Clark | Trent McDuffie | Riley Moss
Jets get their QB1
Jets get: QB Kyler Murray, 2026 sixth-round pick
Cardinals get: 2026 fourth-round pick
Midway through the 2025 season, it seemed clear that the Cardinals were out of the Kyler Murray business. His foot injury, which had been a week-to-week issue, suddenly escalated to the point where the 2019 No. 1 pick was placed on injured reserve and never returned. Jacoby Brissett played reasonably well in Murray’s absence and remains under contract in 2026. The Cardinals already changed coaching staffs this offseason, but whether to move on from the franchise quarterback is decided at the ownership level.
Arizona’s problem, as it tries to land a meaningful trade return for its quarterback, is that there aren’t many suitors for Murray because he will make more than $78 million in 2026 and 2027 combined before an opening to move on from his deal emerges in 2028. The Vikings aren’t in great salary cap shape. The Browns probably can’t afford to pay Murray and Deshaun Watson at the same time. The Falcons want to operate from under center. The Raiders are likely to draft a quarterback. The Colts will likely re-sign Daniel Jones. And Murray doesn’t seem like a good fit for what Mike McCarthy wants to do with the Steelers.
That leaves the Dolphins and Jets, who once fought as the final two suitors in a potential offseason trade for receiver Tyreek Hill; he chose to join Miami. It makes more sense for the Jets to push harder for Murray. The Dolphins just rebooted by firing Mike McDaniel, and they will spend 2026 getting out from Tua Tagovailoa‘s deal. Those rebuilds can have quick turnarounds — the Broncos made the playoffs while they were still paying off Russell Wilson‘s contract — but Miami doesn’t feel like it is a Murray-level QB away from competing for anything.
1:44
Should the Jets steer clear of Kyler Murray?
The “Get Up” crew discusses whether Kyler Murray is too risky of an option for the New York Jets.
The Jets might not be, either, but their head coach is more incentivized to be aggressive. Aaron Glenn turned over nearly his entire staff after a disappointing first year, when the Jets were abysmal on both sides of the football. For most of the first half of the season, Glenn couldn’t decide whether to bench Justin Fields, and when Fields went down with an injury, the results from Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook weren’t much better. Glenn could be coaching for his job in Year 2, and though he will trust his ability to turn around the defense, finding a veteran quarterback who can win a few games is critical.
Swapping a Day 3 selection for a quarterback who ranked 14th in Total QBR over the past two years won’t hurt an organization that has a ton of draft capital after the Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner trades. Jets fans would love to add their quarterback of the future after seeing Sam Darnold thrive in Seattle, but they also haven’t had even league-average QB play in a season since Josh McCown put together a solid year for the Jets in 2017. With nearly $79 million in cap space, the Jets also have plenty of money to spend.
The Cardinals would save $34 million on their 2026 cap and that $78 million or so in cash over the next two years if they trade Murray before June 1. It’s never fun to see the face of the franchise dealt for a Day 3 pick, but I would suspect that the new staff was interviewed and hired with the understanding that Murray wouldn’t be staying in Arizona for much longer. So a Murray trade might be about landing the best available deal instead of waiting for the right one.
Raiders, Bears tackle needs
Raiders get: WR DJ Moore, 2026 first-round pick
Bears get: Edge Maxx Crosby, 2027 fifth-round pick
Crosby has resisted trade overtures in the past with the hopes of being part of a Raiders turnaround, but after the star edge rusher was held out late in the season as Las Vegas attempted to (successfully) land the first pick, something seemed to turn. Crosby hasn’t publicly requested a trade, and the Raiders moved on from coach Pete Carroll after the season, but there’s certainly some smoke here.
His three-year, $106.5 million extension was structured to make a trade before the 2026 season financially palatable. The deal doesn’t have a signing bonus, so the Raiders would be on the hook for only $5.1 million in dead money if they traded him. His new team would be on the hook for $60.6 million between 2026 and 2027, with the option to pay an additional $53.9 million in non-guaranteed money between 2028 and 2029.
The problem is figuring out what Crosby would net in a trade. He is still productive, racking up 10 sacks and 20 knockdowns over 15 games on a Raiders team that didn’t face many pass attempts in 2025, but he turns 29 in August. Crosby has also played a higher snap share than just about any NFL edge rusher over the past few years, including a 96% share in 2022 and 95% in 2023. He has dealt with a high ankle sprain and a meniscus repair over the past two years, too.
Vegas will obviously want a substantial haul for Crosby, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that it would take a Micah Parsons-sized return to even get the Raiders to consider a deal. Teams often have big asks before eventually settling for something short of their initial demands, but this sort of return wouldn’t be realistic. Parsons was a 26-year-old at the end of his rookie deal and had three top-three finishes for Defensive Player of the Year. Crosby is two years older, is coming off back-to-back seasons impacted by injury and has never been a first-team All-Pro or finished higher than fourth in DPOY balloting.
Typically, I would say it would be unrealistic to expect to land a first-round pick for an unhappy non-quarterback on a massive contract as he enters his age-29 season, let alone two. But the Cowboys did trade a first- and a second-round pick to the Jets for Quinnen Williams. It’s not a perfect comparison. Williams was about to turn 28 and plays defensive tackle, where the top of the market isn’t quite as financially stratospheric as edge rusher. That trade also looked like an overpay at the time and didn’t age well afterward, although that was through no fault of Williams.
The Raiders probably aren’t trading Crosby unless they can get a first-round pick or some cumulative value in that ballpark. (Or unless ownership gets involved and decides that the team is doing a trade, which explains those two Cowboys trades.) I don’t see teams in the top half of the draft sending their first-rounder for Crosby. The Eagles love edge rushers, but it would be out of character for GM Howie Roseman to deal a first-round pick for a player with a lucrative contract this late into his career. The Patriots could acquire Crosby with the intent that he pushes them over the top, but I’m guessing coach Mike Vrabel & Co. are more realistic about what they need in 2026 and add young talent to their core.
The Bears have the 25th pick, and GM Ryan Poles hasn’t been shy about using draft picks to add talent. Some of those moves have worked out better (Joe Thuney) than others (Chase Claypool). Montez Sweat lands somewhere in the middle as a solid, Pro Bowl-ceiling player who is getting paid to be a superstar edge rusher. He had 10 sacks last season, but the Bears were still only 29th in sack rate while blitzing at a rate just above league average.
That’s partly because Poles’ other pass-rush moves haven’t panned out. Dayo Odeyingbo mustered only one sack and four knockdowns in eight games before tearing an Achilles, and $13 million of his $15.5 million base salary in 2026 is guaranteed. Grady Jarrett also has $13 million of his $14.3 million salary guaranteed next season, and he managed only 1.5 sacks and eight knockdowns in his first year with the Bears. Gervon Dexter Sr. and Austin Booker are useful players on rookie contracts, but the Bears still haven’t solved their pass-rush problem.
Poles probably has to clear out some cash and cap to get a deal done. Enter Moore, whose four-year extension starts next season. The Bears have already paid Moore a $20 million signing bonus as part of that deal, $23.5 million of Moore’s 2026 deal is already guaranteed, and $15.5 million of his 2027 compensation locks in if he is on the roster in mid-March. Any team acquiring Moore would essentially be signing to pay him $49 million over the next two years.
Is that a good deal? It depends on which version of Moore that team is getting. His role was significantly diminished in Ben Johnson’s first year in charge, setting career lows in targets (85), receptions (50) and receiving yards (682). Moore averaged just 1.3 yards per route run. But he also racked up 2,330 yards and 14 touchdowns from 2023 to 2024 in what might charitably be described as broken offenses. He turns 29 in April, so the drop from 1,364 yards in 2023 to 682 yards in 2025 has to be worrying, but Moore managed 116 yards and two touchdowns during Chicago’s playoff run.
I’m not sure Johnson really loves Moore. The Bears will be locked into Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III — both on rookie deals — as two of their top wide receivers in 2026. Colston Loveland will command a ton of targets. The Bears could move on from Cole Kmet, but what if Johnson wants to live in 12 personnel more often? What if he prefers Olamide Zaccheaus as a third receiver on a much cheaper contract, given the journeyman’s blocking ability? Moore’s a better player, but the Bears can find a replacement for his targets at a much cheaper cost.
The Raiders, meanwhile, need to add help at wide receiver for presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. Speedy flanker Tre Tucker profiles as a secondary option, while 2025 draft picks Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. failed to impress in their rookie seasons, racking up a combined 42 catches for 445 yards. Klint Kubiak should lean into 12 personnel with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, but Vegas still needs a starting-caliber wideout. Raiders GM John Spytek could look toward his old stomping grounds in Tampa Bay and attempt to sign Mike Evans if the future Hall of Famer hits free agency. But Moore would be a much-needed addition for the Raiders, who need to surround Mendoza with talent to ensure that their new QB can live up to expectations.
1:49
Greeny: It’s a win-win for Raiders to trade Maxx Crosby
Mike Greenberg and the “Get Up” crew weigh in on whether it’s time for the Raiders to trade Maxx Crosby.
Poles and the Bears, meanwhile, would be getting out of what might be an awful contract extension and realigning some of their cash toward the weakest part (albeit also one of the most expensive parts) of their roster. Crosby pushes everyone into the right role, notably Sweat, who would see far fewer double-teams. Giving up a first-round pick would be painful, and the Bears need to address safety with Jaquan Brisker hitting free agency. But if they think they’re close to making a deeper playoff run, adding Crosby would be one way to leverage Caleb Williams‘ rookie-scale salary.
Browns shore up the OL
Browns get: OT Walker Little, 2027 seventh-round pick
Jaguars get: 2026 fifth-round pick
Coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone enjoyed a successful first season in Jacksonville, but there’s plenty of work to be done this offseason. Rebuilding Trevor Lawrence‘s line was important for the first-time head coach and general manager. The new regime inherited Little at left tackle from former GM Trent Baalke, who signed Little to a three-year, $40.5 million extension in December 2024 after just a handful of starts on the blind side.
Little never really seemed comfortable within the offense in 2025. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he allowed 7.5 sacks and 57 pressures in 12 games at left tackle before suffering a concussion. In his absence, backup Cole Van Lanen was impressive enough at left tackle to earn a three-year, $51 million contract. When Little returned late in the season, Van Lanen stayed at left tackle, and Little filled in at guard for the injured Patrick Mekari. (Van Lanen missed the Jags’ loss to the Bills in the wild-card round, during which Little kicked out to left tackle one more time.)
It doesn’t seem like Little is in Jacksonville’s plans. If Van Lanen is at left tackle, that would leave Robert Hainsey at center, Anton Harrison at right tackle and Mekari at one of the guard spots. The Jags could bump Little inside to replace Ezra Cleveland, who is in the final year of his deal, but third-round pick Wyatt Milum is likely to have the inside path to that role. Keeping Little as a swing tackle and utility lineman is also an option, but paying $12 million in 2026 for that privilege doesn’t seem like the best use of Jacksonville’s cash next season.
Little should also have some modest trade value because of his age (he turns 27 in April) and experience playing left tackle. Remember that Jaylon Moore, who served as the backup left tackle for the 49ers behind Trent Williams, signed a two-year, $30 million deal with the Chiefs in free agency a year ago. Little would be less expensive and has more experience than Moore.
I’m not sure Little is even an average left tackle, but maybe he settles in at that level on the right side or at guard. The good news is the Browns need starters everywhere. Cam Robinson, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Ethan Pocic are all free agents, while tackle Dawand Jones missed most of 2025 because of hamstring and knee injuries and is entering the final year of his deal. Little would step in at one of those many openings for the Browns up front.
Bills finally get their WR1
Bills get: WR Brian Thomas Jr., 2026 fifth-round pick
Jaguars get: WR Keon Coleman, 2026 first-round pick
After the Bills beat the Jaguars in the wild-card round, I laid out an argument for why Jacksonville would consider a trade for Thomas. If the organization is still committed to giving Travis Hunter a two-way role, its wide receiver room would be very crowded. Jakobi Meyers signed an extension after impressing in half a year with the Jags. And Parker Washington was the team’s best wideout down the stretch and into the postseason.
Thomas, on the other hand, never really seemed comfortable in Coen’s offense. After a massive rookie campaign, Thomas didn’t have a single 100-yard game in Year 2 and topped 70 receiving yards three times. There were drops and (perhaps overstated) concerns about Thomas’ unwillingness to make catches in tight spaces. Bottom line: The production wasn’t there, and things didn’t get better as the season went along. Thomas had just two catches for 21 yards in the Jags’ playoff loss to Buffalo (though one was for a TD).
The Jags also don’t have their first-round pick in 2026 after trading it to the Browns as part of the Hunter deal, leaving Gladstone with limited draft capital. Thomas would be their most realistic way to get that missing first-rounder back. Getting the pick back just for the sake of it doesn’t mean much, but if the Jags don’t see Thomas as a focal point of their offense, the best time to make a move would be now.
The Jaguars might stick with Thomas and expect more from him in 2026. Jacksonville could use Hunter as a full-time cornerback and part-time wide receiver in 2026, which would likely mean that Coen would call on Thomas, Washington and Meyers as the team’s top three receivers in 11 personnel. At the same time, though, a part-time role for Hunter might still limit Thomas’ production.
Remember that Hunter missed the final 10 games of the regular season and the playoff loss because of a knee injury. Thomas averaged just 44 receiving yards per game once Hunter went down, a 748-yard pace over a full season (he missed three games because of an ankle injury). Even a handful of snaps per game for Hunter would be more competition than Thomas had during the second half of 2025, and Thomas wasn’t productive over that span.
The Bills, on the other hand, desperately need an “X” receiver who can separate from man coverage and make plays at all three levels. Coleman might have become that player for them, but after ownership bad-mouthed the 2024 second-round pick in a news conference, it’s tough to believe that he has a long-term future in Buffalo.
Thomas would immediately step in as Josh Allen‘s No. 1 receiver. For a team that’s $10 million over the projected cap before making adjustments this offseason, Thomas’ contract is a bargain for the next few years. He’ll make $2.1 million in 2026 and $2.8 million in 2027 before a potential fifth-year option in 2028, affording the Bills multiple seasons of cost control. Even if Thomas only settles in somewhere between his 2024 and 2025 form, he would offer significant surplus value.
The Jags could use that first-round pick — No. 26 after this deal — to add cost-controlled talent or go after young talent via trades. They would be taking a flier on Coleman, who is owed only $3.8 million combined over the next two seasons. That’s not a big cost savings over Thomas, but when you factor in the first-round pick, the Jags would be upgrading another position while slotting Coleman in as their WR4.
Colts save on the cap, Panthers jump-start their offense
Panthers get: WR Michael Pittman Jr., 2026 seventh-round pick
Colts get: WR Xavier Legette, 2026 fifth-round pick
There’s no comparing Pittman and Legette as players; Pittman has been far more productive and reliable during his career than Legette, who has struggled with drops and inconsistent play. But Pittman is making $22 million in the final year of the three-year extension he signed with the Colts. After racking up 1,152 receiving yards in his final year before that contract extension, Pittman has managed 808 yards in 2024 and 784 this past year. He dropped from 24th in yards per route run among wide receivers in 2023 to 43rd in 2024 and 44th in 2025.
You might be willing to blame some of those yardage totals on subpar quarterback play, but as Pittman’s numbers have fallen, Alec Pierce‘s totals have risen. Pierce, a downfield threat, is about to hit free agency, and with the Colts needing to sign Daniel Jones and Kwity Paye to new deals this offseason, I’m not sure Chris Ballard can afford to pay Pittman and Pierce north of $21 million per year. If the Colts want to keep Pierce, moving on from Pittman will probably be part of that equation.
All of Pittman’s 2026 salary is nonguaranteed, so Indy could cut him if needed. He would have some modest trade value as a WR2 for teams that aren’t spending a ton on their passing game, though. The Panthers fit the bill there, as Bryce Young, Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan are all on their rookie contracts. The 6-foot-4 Pittman would be another big target in a Panthers wide receiver room full of them, and Pittman’s work underneath would allow McMillan more freedom to work from the slot and at the intermediate and deep levels of the field.
In return, the Colts would land a Day 3 pick and Legette, who is due just $4.4 million combined over the next two seasons. If Indianapolis needs to spend money elsewhere, Legette would make sense slotting in as a third or fourth wide receiver behind Pierce, Josh Downs and potentially Ashton Dulin. Ballard has loved drafting high-end athletes at receiver during his time in Indianapolis, and Legette certainly qualifies. Having just turned 25, Legette still might have some room for growth. And if he fails to get there, it at least wouldn’t cost the Colts much.
Vikings find some QB room insurance
Vikings get: QB Mac Jones, 2027 third-round pick
49ers get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick (conditional), 2028 third-round pick (conditional)
The Vikings can’t afford to leave J.J. McCarthy an uncontested path to their starting quarterback job again in 2026. He was a disaster for most of the season, and though he put together a better stretch to end 2025, that four-game run came against the Commanders (who were 30th in EPA per play against pass dropbacks), Cowboys (31st), Giants (17th, in a game where McCarthy threw 14 passes) and Packers (21st, McCarthy was facing second- and third-stringers for most of the game).
It’s reasonable to say that McCarthy deserves more time, having started just 10 games during two seasons as a pro. Even if you’re making that argument, though, the Vikings need real competition for him in camp. They also need a backup who can step in to play, given that McCarthy has missed 24 games over his first two years because of knee, concussion, hand and ankle injuries.
This would be sort of a complicated trade, but the Vikings would be adding a quarterback who showed some of his upside in San Francisco. Jones posted a 62.3 Total QBR during his lone season with the 49ers, coming in a little more than 10 points behind Brock Purdy‘s 73.0 mark. Jones is due just $4.7 million in 2026, which will be the final year of his contract. And of course, we know that the Vikings have been willing to take a swing on quarterbacks who have gone through the Kyle Shanahan rejuvenation cycle before, having signed Sam Darnold after the now-Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.
It’s not an easy move for the 49ers, who are committed to Purdy as their long-term starter. Holding on to Jones as their backup makes sense, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Niners fully intend to keep him — although it would also hardly be a surprise if the 49ers signed Kirk Cousins to reunite the veteran signal-caller with Shanahan in San Francisco. GM John Lynch could pick up a compensatory pick for losing Jones in free agency next year, although that would require the 49ers to be careful about how much they spend, and that pick wouldn’t come until the 2028 draft.
In this deal, the 49ers get a second-rounder for a future third-rounder. There are also two conditional picks, which should help protect them if Jones blossoms in Minnesota. The 2027 conditional pick would trigger based on Jones’ playing time with the Vikings. If he starts four games in 2026, the Vikings send a fifth-round pick out west. If Jones starts 12 games, that gets upped to a third-rounder. And then, if Jones re-signs with the Vikings after the 2026 season and starts at least one game for the Vikings in 2027, the 49ers would land another third-round pick.
If Jones spends just 2025 backing up McCarthy, the 49ers swap only the Day 2 picks. If Jones emerges as the long-term starter in Minnesota, though, the Vikings could send a second-rounder and two third-round picks to the 49ers — a price that Kevin O’Connell would surely be happy to pay for an upgrade at quarterback.
Steelers look in-state for potential QB answers
Steelers get: QB Tanner McKee
Eagles get: 2026 third-round pick, 2027 third-round pick (conditional)
The Steelers aren’t rebuilding, but they can’t stay stuck in this QB cycle forever. Six different quarterbacks have started games for the Steelers over the past four years, and only one of them, veteran backup Mason Rudolph, is on the 2026 roster. Yes, 2024 sixth-round pick Will Howard is also in the building, but the track record of sixth-round picks who aren’t Tom Brady turning into successful NFL quarterbacks is slim. Howard missed all of his first preseason because of a hand injury, which didn’t help matters.
New head coach Mike McCarthy could reunite with Aaron Rodgers, but it’s worth remembering that those two parties weren’t exactly doing great work during their final days together in Green Bay, with Rodgers immediately winning consecutive MVP awards after McCarthy gave way to Matt LaFleur. Rodgers was a low-ceiling option during his age-42 season with the Steelers, and the chances of him falling further off a cliff in his mid-40s seem greater than his chances of improving.
Enter McKee, who has drawn attention around the league for his work as Jalen Hurts‘ backup in Philadelphia. McKee was excellent in the 2025 preseason, going 20-of-25 for 252 yards and two scores. In mop-up duty and two Week 18 starts playing with Philly’s backups over the past two years, he has posted a 45.3 Total QBR, putting McKee just ahead of Rodgers’ 44.5.
The 6-foot-6 McKee might impress if given more of an opportunity to start, although he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. The Steelers might consider bringing back Rodgers, trading for McKee and then signing the inexperienced 25-year-old to a short-term extension. For a team that is never in position to draft a quarterback in the top 10, taking a shot on someone like McKee is an alternative the Steelers need to consider. Pittsburgh also has an extra third-round pick as a result of the George Pickens trade, and though that shouldn’t cause teams to discount their own picks, it might make taking a swing on McKee easier to stomach.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman will want more, of course. The Texans once swapped first- and second-round picks with the Falcons — with Atlanta moving up in each round — to draft and extend Matt Schaub, who had completed 52% of his passes and started twice over three seasons. Roseman would probably ask for edge rusher Nick Herbig, who led the league in pass rush win rate on the outside in a breakout season. Herbig is also a free agent after the year and stuck behind two talented and highly paid veterans in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but Roseman would likely need to send a Day 2 pick with McKee to land the 24-year-old.
In reality, though, McKee is more of a mystery box than a proven player. There are no guarantees that he would land a significant deal in free agency or that the Eagles would avoid canceling out that compensatory pick with their own signings. Locking in the third-round pick here would make sense. And with this proposal, Philly could also land a conditional third-round pick in 2027 if McKee makes at least eight starts and/or starts a playoff game for the Steelers during the 2026 season.
Broncos get aggressive in their pass game
Broncos get: WR A.J. Brown, 2026 fifth-round pick
Eagles get: CB Riley Moss, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick
Brown’s situation with the Eagles is tenuous, and I would argue that there’s a better chance of the star wide receiver sticking with Philadelphia for another year than some might think. Roseman downplayed the possibility of trading Brown when he was asked in mid-January.
That partly might be because a Brown trade would be financially difficult; the Eagles would be on the hook for $43.5 million in dead money if they traded Brown before June 1. That’s manageable in the modern NFL with a cap north of $300 million, but the Eagles could be stuck with stiff dead cap hits if Dallas Goedert and Brandon Graham don’t return, and Lane Johnson retires.
The bigger concern for Roseman is that he would be trading Brown away at the lowest point of his potential value. In 2025, Brown posted his worst numbers in terms of per-game efficiency since his final year with the Titans. There were on- and off-field frustrations, culminating in a playoff loss where Brown dropped multiple passes and argued with coach Nick Sirianni on the sideline. It wasn’t the sort of season that would thrill potential trade partners.
1:21
Will A.J. Brown still be with the Eagles next season?
Jeff Saturday and Dan Graziano debate whether A.J. Brown will still be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles next season.
And yet, even a down year for Brown is still pretty good. He finished sixth in the NFL in ESPN’s receiver scores, measuring how effective he was catching passes, creating after the catch and getting open, even when he wasn’t thrown the football in the latter case. Brown was 12th among wide receivers in yards per route run, and he did that in a Kevin Patullo-led offense that wasn’t exactly winning Philadelphia Design Awards.
Brown turns 29 later this year, and his contract is much more movable after next season. In 2026, the Eagles owe him $29 million, which isn’t an onerous sum for a player who can be a true WR1 when he’s on his game. They are better with their top wideout than without him, especially because there isn’t a ready-made replacement for Brown across from DeVonta Smith on the roster.
Organizations sometimes decide that they’re just done with a player, though, and this could be the case for the Eagles. The Bills decided that they were moving on from Stefon Diggs after the 2023 season and eventually dealt him to the Texans for a second-round pick, even though there wasn’t an obvious player to fill his role on the roster. If Philadelphia ownership doesn’t want Brown on the 2026 roster, he will be moved.
This might be one way to make the 2026 team better as part of a Brown deal. The Eagles fielded an excellent defense in 2025, but their obvious weak spot was at outside cornerback, where teams threw at the guy who wasn’t Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean. If there’s anybody in the league who has experience seeing plenty of targets at cornerback, it’s Moss. He has seen a relentless stream of throws playing across from Pat Surtain II.
Though Moss has given up plenty of yards by virtue of those whopping target numbers, he has generally been a solid cornerback; Moss posted an 88.2 passer rating in coverage last season and had an above-average missed tackle rate. He’s entering the final year of his contract, which would allow the Eagles to sign Moss to an extension as part of a talented young secondary or pick up a potential compensatory selection if he leaves after the season. Either way, he would be a meaningful upgrade over Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo.
The Broncos would be willing to move on from Moss because of what they have at cornerback. Surtain is not going anywhere. Ja’Quan McMillian — a restricted free agent — has been excellent in the slot. And GM George Paton used Denver’s 2025 first-round pick to draft Jahdae Barron out of Texas. Barron played only 334 snaps during his rookie year, spending most of that time in the slot, but the Broncos obviously expect him to play more in the years to come. He won the Jim Thorpe Award as college football’s best defensive back while playing outside in 2024, so he should hold up as a boundary cornerback. Trading Moss a year before free agency would lock in a draft pick and open a spot for Barron in the lineup.
Plus, Brown would be the wideout of Bo Nix‘s and Sean Payton’s dreams. Nix’s accuracy issues downfield would be mitigated by Brown’s size, catch radius and ability to win on contested-catch opportunities. Payton has unlocked massive seasons from bigger wide receivers such as Marques Colston and Michael Thomas. Brown could be that player for Nix while pushing Courtland Sutton into a second wideout role. It would be a big swing for the Broncos, but after coming within a score of making it to the Super Bowl, I wouldn’t fault Payton for trying to add one more essential player on offense.
Ravens try to spark their pass rush
Ravens get: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux
Giants get: 2026 fourth-round pick
It’s difficult to see Thibodeaux having much of a future in New York. The Giants signed Brian Burns to a long-term contract and just used the third pick on Abdul Carter, who posted massive pressure rates in his debut season. Thibodeaux will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season. He’s coming off a 2.5-sack, 10-knockdown year, and was limited to 10 games because of a shoulder injury.
The Giants can afford Thibodeaux’s $14.8 million salary in 2026, but it’s probably not the ideal use of their cash. They could keep Thibodeaux and hope to land a compensatory pick in 2027, but they are likely to be active in free agency, which would make it more likely that Thibodeaux wouldn’t earn them a draft pick after leaving. Landing a guaranteed pick now and freeing up money to help address the offensive line and secondary might be a reasonable alternative for Giants GM Joe Schoen.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are thin on the edge. Mike Green had 3.5 sacks as a rookie, albeit with 14 knockdowns. No Ravens player had more than five sacks last season. Veterans Kyle Van Noy and Dre’Mont Jones are free agents. And former first-round pick Odafe Oweh, whom the Ravens traded at midseason, had 7.5 sacks on just 347 snaps after joining the Chargers.
Jesse Minter, who turned around Oweh, is now the head coach in Baltimore. And Minter might fancy his chances of getting more out of Thibodeaux, who came into the league with a top-five-pick toolbox and racked up 11.5 sacks in his second year with the Giants. The Ravens would be taking a targeted swing on a talented player in a contract year who just turned 25 in December. And though re-signing Tyler Linderbaum would leave the Ravens in a tight cap situation, either restructuring or redoing Lamar Jackson‘s contract will free up a massive amount of space.
Bengals address their lackluster defense
Bengals get: DT Kenny Clark, 2027 seventh-round pick
Cowboys get: 2027 sixth-round pick
The Clark era might not last long in Dallas. Acquired as part of the Micah Parsons deal, Clark’s contract was a relative bargain in 2025, given that the Cowboys were on the hook for only his $1.3 million base salary and another $1 million in per-game roster bonuses. Clark wasn’t single-handedly able to fix Dallas’ defense, but he also wasn’t the problem.
In 2026, though, Clark is set to make $21.5 million — $11 million of which comes due in a mid-March roster bonus. He projects to have the fifth-largest cap hit of any Cowboys player. The problem is that the fourth-largest cap hit belongs to fellow defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whom the Cowboys sent two premium picks to the Jets to acquire at the trade deadline. And the sixth-largest cap hit belongs to fellow tackle Osa Odighizuwa, whose $16.25 million base salary is guaranteed.
Clark’s money isn’t guaranteed, and it’s unlikely that he would be in position to land that same $21.5 million in 2026 compensation if he hits free agency. Grady Jarrett signed a three-year, $42.5 million deal with the Bears after the Falcons cut him last offseason, and I suspect Clark might be looking at something closer to that range as a free agent.
So, if the Cowboys are going to cut Clark and he won’t land the same caliber of contract in free agency, the alternative might include taking a pay cut to the $14 million range and netting the Cowboys a swap of late-round picks in the process. Clark might not be willing to accommodate the Cowboys, and the former UCLA Bruin might prefer a move out west, but this deal would be an opportunity for him to reunite with former Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, who oversaw Clark’s work during his best seasons in Green Bay.
Montgomery needs all the help he can get in Cincinnati, where the Bengals ranked 29th in EPA per play against designed rushes last season. Trey Hendrickson is likely to depart in free agency, leaving the Bengals with a need for defensive line help and some cash to work with this offseason. Getting a like-for-like replacement on the edge would be ideal, but Joseph Ossai is coming off a quietly solid season, and the Bengals used their first-round pick a year ago on Shemar Stewart. Both should see significant time on the edge in 2026, even though Stewart barely registered in his rookie season.
Slotting Clark in on the interior would give the Bengals a valuable tackle to rotate alongside B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton Jr. They don’t trade picks very often, but the Bengals have to approach this offseason with a stronger sense of urgency than they have in years past. Clark won’t single-handedly fix their defense, but at the right price, he would be a helpful player for a team that needs to be better at rushing the quarterback and stopping the run in 2026.
Rams go all-in with their extra first-rounder
Rams get: CB Trent McDuffie, 2026 fifth-round pick
Chiefs get: 2026 first-round pick
The Rams have two first-round picks after trading down in last year’s draft, and having come bitterly close to making it back to the Super Bowl this past season, GM Les Snead has to be thinking about what he can do to get his organization over the top. Matthew Stafford just turned 38, and though he’s coming off an MVP campaign, the Rams don’t know when their veteran quarterback will call it quits. Loading up to try to build a title-winner while Stafford is still slinging makes sense.
Their biggest weakness is at cornerback, a position Snead has tried to address via trades for young stars in the past. The Rams sent second- and fourth-round picks to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, and though that didn’t work out, Snead followed up by sending two first-round picks to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey. That one did. I’m not sure there’s a cornerback available worth that sort of haul, but would the Rams use one of their first-rounders to get an immediate difference-maker?
McDuffie fits that bill as a feisty, aggressive cornerback with the ability to play near the line of scrimmage. The Rams have spent at one of the league’s lowest rates over the past two years on defense, and they would have no trouble absorbing a potential extension for McDuffie, let alone his $13.6 million fifth-year option in 2026. McDuffie might be best in the slot, where the Rams use Quentin Lake, but he’s plenty effective as an outside cornerback, too.
Why would the Chiefs, who also expect to compete for a Super Bowl, trade McDuffie? Well, Brett Veach hasn’t been too interested in paying cornerbacks during his time as general manager. The Chiefs traded Peters after three seasons, one year removed from a first-team All-Pro nod. They developed L’Jarius Sneed into a standout, but at the end of his rookie deal, they franchise-tagged him and traded him to the Titans for a third-round pick.
McDuffie is better than Peters or Sneed, but if the Chiefs aren’t planning on extending their top corner, getting something significant for him now makes more sense than losing him in free agency for nothing more than a 2028 compensatory pick. In acquiring the No. 29 selection, the Chiefs would have three of the top-40 picks in this year’s draft, which would give them the ability to add multiple rookie contributors and/or move around for specific players.
I’d rather see the Chiefs give an extension to one of their best players, but until Veach pays a cornerback top-tier money, I’m not counting on that to occur. The Chiefs have spent just $112.2 million in cash at cornerback since the start of 2018, the third-lowest total for any team over that span. And it’s scary to think about trading a sure thing for nothing more than draft capital but remember that the Chiefs initially landed McDuffie by moving up with some of the picks they got from Miami in the Tyreek Hill trade.
