Ranking the top offseason trade candidates: Who are the best players potentially available?

Trade buzz is heating up around the NFL, with the combine underway and free agency less than two weeks away. Which players could be involved in deals?

National NFL reporter Dan Graziano and NFL analyst Ben Solak worked together to stack the 15 best players who could be traded this month. This ranking is based on each player’s value to a new team, tying in what he brings on the field and his current contract situation. It is not a ranking of the players most likely to be dealt (though we did include a rough estimated percentage chance for each of the 15 players to change teams). In other words, Kyler Murray is ranked higher than Spencer Rattler here because Murray would bring more to a roster, but Rattler has a higher likelihood of actually getting moved.

For each player, we also have what we’re hearing, what we see on the tape and some team fits that might make sense. We begin with a talented 2024 first-rounder who might need a change of scenery.

Jump to the top-ranked:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Edge | DT | CB | S

The contract: Two more years for a total of $4.9 million, plus a fifth-year team option for 2028

The buzz: A first-round pick two years ago by the previous Jaguars administration, Thomas struggled enough throughout his second season that the team needed to trade for Jakobi Meyers at the deadline then signed him to a long-term deal. The Jaguars also got an impressive season out of Parker Washington. And while the new plan for Travis Hunter might be to focus on the cornerback position, Jacksonville still expects him to contribute something as a wide receiver.

There has been no indication that trading Thomas is something the Jaguars are planning, but there are teams monitoring the situation in case the hypertalented LSU product has fallen far enough down the Jacksonville depth chart that the front office would consider a move. — Graziano

The tape: The expectation for Thomas entering his sophomore season was WR1 production. But he struggled with drops and contact to start the season and ended up in more of a WR3 field-stretching role by season’s end. If another team wants to spend big draft capital on Thomas in the hopes that he returns to his rookie form in a new zip code, I’d get it. Thomas was better as a prospect than any wide receiver in the upcoming 2026 class. He had 707 yards and two scores in 2025, but he went for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 20%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Bills, Steelers, Raiders

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The contract: One more year for about $5.9 million

The buzz: The league seems to believe the Dolphins are in a full rebuild, which means they’re getting calls on all of their star players. My sense is that they’re far more likely to extend Achane’s contract than to listen to those trade offers, but in their situation, you answer the phone when it rings. So, call any Achane trade a significant long shot that would take an awfully enticing package to get done. — Graziano

The tape: The Dolphins valued Achane highly at the trade deadline, and they will likely do so again. The 24-year-old running back has game-breaking speed, high-volume receiving ability and much better toughness and tackle-breaking skills than his slight frame might suggest. He’s a better — and younger — talent than anyone in the loaded free agent RB market. Achane ran for 1,350 yards and eight scores last season, and his 5.7 yards per carry ranked first in the NFL. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Chiefs, Texans, Vikings

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The contract: Three more years for a total of about $57.3 million, with $16.6 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: There were whispers of a potential Waddle deal at the trade deadline in October, but those might have been generated from the interested teams rather than from the Dolphins. With Tyreek Hill released, a Waddle deal would represent a significant reset in Miami. And if the Dolphins are going to handle a $99.2 million dead money hit for Tua Tagovailoa, they are going to have to cut costs somewhere. (On the third day of the league year, $15.2 million of Waddle’s $23.39 million 2027 salary will become fully guaranteed too.)

But as I said on Achane above, my sense is that the Dolphins see Waddle as a building block who’s under contract and aren’t eager to move on from him. They’ll get calls, no doubt, but it would take a lot for them to deal him. — Graziano

The tape: Waddle has multiple seasons of cost-controlled play on his existing contract, is only 27 years old and can be both a yards-after-catch slot option and a downfield vertical threat. He doesn’t have the frame to be a high-volume WR1, but he would be an excellent, explosive half of a league-leading tandem at wide receiver. He caught 64 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Steelers, Chiefs, Raiders, Ravens

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The contract: Four more years at about $29 million per year, with $30 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Last season ended badly for Crosby and the Raiders, as the team put him on injured reserve with two games left even though he felt healthy enough to play. There has been a ton of chatter around this situation though no public proclamations from Crosby about wanting out. And general manager John Spytek said at the combine Tuesday he expects Crosby to play for Las Vegas next season. Unless Crosby forces the issue and tells the Raiders he doesn’t want to play for them anymore, it’s hard to see the team moving him. But if that does happen, there would be a ton of interest. — Graziano

The tape: The value proposition on Crosby is obvious. One of the league’s best three-down defensive linemen, Crosby is an iron man who creates tackles for loss in the running game and can beat even elite offensive tackles in one-on-one pass-rush situations. Crosby will turn 29 before next season and still has two years of guaranteed money on his deal, so he could be the crowning jewel of a contending defense. He had 10 sacks in 2025. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 60%
Potential team fits: Bears, Patriots, Commanders

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The contract: Four more years at $28.25 million per year, with $29 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Brown made no secret of his frustrations with the Eagles’ offense in 2025. Heck, he made no secret of them in 2024, when the team ended up winning the Super Bowl. Philadelphia has learned to live with Brown’s grousing because of his production. So, the questions are whether he’s unhappy enough there to force the issue and whether the Eagles want to move on from the situation. — Graziano

The tape: Brown’s individual play seemed to fall off a touch last season, but it’s fair to believe his frustration with the offense led to some disinterested play. An acquiring team is risking that Brown is beyond his athletic prime (he will turn 29 this summer), but he has only one year of guaranteed money on his deal, so it would not be too big of a commitment. And the recent ceiling of Brown’s play has been top-five receiver level. He had 1,003 yards last season, and he has tallied at least seven touchdowns in each of the past four campaigns. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 60%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Bills, Ravens

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The contract: Four more years at $28.75 million per year, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: When he signed his deal last spring, Metcalf’s $25 million in 2026 salary was fully guaranteed. But his two-game suspension at the end of the season for an in-game altercation with a fan voided that guarantee and could in turn make Metcalf easier to trade, if the Steelers are so inclined. They’ll be installing a new offense under new coach Mike McCarthy, and while dealing Metcalf would weaken them at a spot where they’re already thin, the wideout could end up on the market if he’s not a fit for the scheme. — Graziano

The tape: Metcalf is a team-specific player; not all systems will endure his limited route tree. Those teams that already have a dominant route runner or can feed him a steady diet of vertical routes will value a player who is still under 30 and has a unique blend of size and speed — especially when we consider how much team control he offers. He logged 850 yards in 2025, and he exceeded that number in each of his six prior seasons. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 25%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Commanders, Bills

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The contract: Two more years at about $39.4 million per year, with $36.8 million guaranteed in 2026 and a team option for 2028

The buzz: The Cardinals would love to trade the contract, but with that huge guarantee this year and another $19.5 million of 2027 money that fully guarantees on the third day of this league year, it’s going to be tough to find a taker. If Arizona is willing to pay down a big chunk of the money, that could help; but odds are Murray ends up getting released before that 2027 guarantee kicks in next month. — Graziano

The tape: While Murray isn’t as exciting as recent QB trade candidates such as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, he’s still a starting-caliber passer under 30 years old. Murray has guaranteed money in 2026 and might have some in 2027 depending on when he is traded, so this wouldn’t be a small commitment for any acquiring team. But it’s a shallow offseason at quarterback, and Murray has a high ceiling as a rehabilitation project given his quickness and live arm. He was limited to five games in 2025 with a foot injury, but he threw 21 touchdown passes and ran for five scores in 2024. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 5%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Jets, Vikings

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The contract: One more year at about $5.8 million

The buzz: The Lions have four 2023 draft picks they want to extend — LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch — and there are people around the league who wonder whether they’ll be able to get all of those deals done or if they’d have to trade someone. Even if the Lions can’t extend LaPorta, I think the odds of them trading him are extremely thin, as Detroit still sees itself in a win-now window. — Graziano

The tape: LaPorta had back surgery this past season (489 receiving yards, three touchdowns) and hasn’t looked as explosive as he did as a rookie (889 yards, 10 scores in 2023), but he remains one of the most exciting young receivers at the position. Teams looking for a high-volume receiving tight end might be willing to spend a draft pick now on LaPorta, instead of risking a bidding war in free agency in 2027 should he come back to form. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Chiefs, Ravens, Texans

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The contract: Two more years at a total of $3.04 million, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: He is still only 25 and would have value in a trade. The Niners have a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris, and Green might not be a scheme fit. The 2024 second-round pick has just one interception in two NFL seasons, and he seemed to fall out of favor a bit with the coaching staff at times last season. — Graziano

The tape: Green isn’t a particularly big outside corner, but he makes up for it with quickness and aggressiveness. Double-digit pass breakups in each of his first two seasons is a testament to that. The coaching staff got frustrated with mental lapses and unnecessary aggressiveness last season, and teams will call accordingly to see if Green has run out of time in San Francisco. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 80%
Potential team fits: Cowboys, Falcons, Eagles

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The contract: Two more years at a total of $2.27 million, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: Rattler started 14 games for the Saints during his first two years in the league, and New Orleans lost 13 of them. He has 12 career touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, and he has been supplanted as the starting quarterback by promising 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. But Rattler showed the Saints enough the past two offseasons that they were willing to give him a shot, and there could be teams out there that think enough of his talent to bring him in to see if they can coach him up into a more consistent starter. — Graziano

The tape: The Saints don’t want to trade a young quarterback on a rookie contract who improved as a sophomore, but teams need developmental passers, and Rattler is the best candidate this spring. Rattler excelled as more of a quick-distribution point guard last season, but he also showed good creation ability on longer, movement dropbacks. He could fight — and easily beat out — a free agent veteran in training camp for a rebuilding team. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 70%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Chiefs, Rams, Raiders

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The contract: One more year at $15.6 million

The buzz: He is 29 years old and definitely slowing down, but he has plenty of high-level experience and a reputation as a strong locker room leader. The Dolphins have a new coaching staff and will be installing a new defense under incoming coach Jeff Hafley. It’s possible they’d need to pay down some of the salary to make a deal work, but they also could do the kind of player-for-player deal that brought them Fitzpatrick last summer. — Graziano

The tape: Fitzpatrick will turn 30 next season and his best play is behind him, but he’s still an impactful single-high coverage defender with enough size and coverage ability to step into the box. Fitzpatrick has one year left on his deal and is only attractive as a mercenary option for contending teams, but the floor and ceiling of his play are high enough to demand solid return. He registered 82 tackles and an interception last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 65%
Potential team fits: Bills, Cowboys

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The contract: Three more years at about $47 million per year, with $54 million guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Benched at the tail end of last season for Quinn Ewers, Tagovailoa no longer looks like the future in Miami. The Dolphins have a new GM and a new coach, and they could turn over the roster significantly this offseason. The problem is that $54 million guarantee, which would transfer to whichever team trades for Tagovailoa and likely prevents any deal from getting done unless the Dolphins are willing to pay down a massive portion of it.

More likely, Miami will end up having to cut Tagovailoa and swallow $99.2 million in dead money cap charges as a result of a long-term extension that looks extremely ill-advised in retrospect. — Graziano

The tape: The strengths and limitations of Tagovailoa’s play are clear at this point, so it’s unlikely a team trades for him as a long-term starting option. But as a bridge, his quick release and pinpoint accuracy in the run-pass option work well for a team looking for an easy identity on offense. So long as the Dolphins work with the contract to make it more palatable, Tagovailoa should have a solid market. He threw 20 touchdown passes and a career-high 15 interceptions last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 5%
Potential team fits: Vikings, Falcons, Cardinals

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The contract: One more year at $1.9 million

The buzz: The Eagles think very highly of Jalen Hurts‘ backup QB, and that opinion is well-known around the league. Do they think highly enough of McKee to extend him? Would McKee even go for that? Or does he want to play this deal out, go somewhere else and see if he can be an NFL starter? If the Eagles feel as if it’s the latter, they could look to get something for him from a team seeking an affordable upside solution at the QB position. — Graziano

The tape: McKee looks like a young quarterback worthy of development in his preseason and late-season starts. I see good size, good accuracy and comfort reading the field to make aggressive throws from the pocket. McKee has only one year left on his deal, so a trade would only make sense with a team that would start him now to determine if he’s worthy of an extension. He has five career touchdown passes across appearances in six games. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 20%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Jets, Vikings, Chiefs

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The contract: Three more years at about $9.9 million per year, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: Hobbs was a free agent signing for Green Bay just last year. But he dealt with injuries in 2025 and bounced between slot corner and outside corner duties when he was on the field. He seems better cast as a slot corner, but the Packers aren’t short on those, and it’s possible they could see him as a valuable trade candidate who could help them pick up an extra draft pick or two. He has a $6.25 million roster bonus due on the third day of the league year, so if a deal happened after that, it’d be even cheaper for the acquiring team.

Green Bay wasn’t the only team interested in Hobbs during free agency last year, and if there’s a slot corner market out there, it might make sense for the Packers to see what they can get. — Graziano

The tape: Hobbs never settled into either the slot or the outside spot in Green Bay’s defense. He is a better fit in the slot and has a good nose coming downhill in zone coverage. But there are a lot of good slots available in free agency and the draft this offseason, which might limit interest in Hobbs’ services. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 50%
Potential team fits: Lions, Dolphins, Panthers, Bills

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The contract: One more year at $14.75 million

The buzz: The Giants have a surplus of impact defensive linemen with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, and it seems more likely they’ll try to find a trade partner for Thibodeaux than extend the 2022 first-round pick ahead of his fifth-year-option season. The question is whether the Giants can find a taker for him at that salary in a deep offseason edge rusher market, but the chatter at the combine indicates they’re going to try. — Graziano

The tape: Thibodeaux’s motor can run hot and cold, which makes him a difficult player to trust on a down-to-down basis. But a contract year could light a fire under Thibodeaux, who generates quick pressures with hand usage and a killer first step. He posted 2.5 sacks last season but also had 11.5 in 2023. That sort of production can keep a guy in a designated pass-rushing role for a long time in this league. But it’s a loaded offseason for edge rushers in free agency, which might temper Thibodeaux’s market. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 70%
Potential team fits: Chargers, Bengals, Bears

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Honorable mentions

• Jordan Davis, DT, Philadelphia Eagles

• Tyson Bagent, QB, Chicago Bears

• Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans

• Anthony Richardson Sr., QB, Indianapolis Colts

• DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

• Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills