Over the last few years, two colossal offseason trades have helped define the NFL landscape.
In 2020, with the Buffalo Bills looking to elevate Josh Allen, they swung a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs. In the three seasons since, thanks to having Diggs as a friend and elite security blanket, Allen has morphed into one of the faces of pro football.
Then, in 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles scooped up A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans. The Second-Team All-Pro was instrumental in helping Jalen Hurts become a bona fide elite QB in a breakout campaign. (Let’s just say Brown really made Tennessee regret the trade.)
The same sentiment could’ve arguably been applied to the Miami Dolphins’ home run for Tyreek Hill. There’s no way Tua Tagovailoa finishes last season with the league’s highest passer rating (105.5) if he can’t lean on one of the game’s premier speedsters.
All three consequential trades were cases where the Bills, Eagles, and Dolphins recognized that a young signal-caller needs weapons to flourish. Rather than sit on their hands and hope for a mystery-box addition from the draft, they proactively swung deals for proven players that shifted the trajectories of their respective franchises. It’s a valuable lesson we might see come to fruition once again this spring.
As we near the latest round of free agency and player movement, two teams could use dynamic playmakers for their young quarterbacks, in particular. The Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields and New England Patriots’ Mac Jones are the foremost examples.
Here are seven veteran receivers who could be traded in the coming weeks and become the best friend of Fields or Jones. Given their potentially complicated current situations, it’s not out of the realm of possibility some of these names have a new home outside of Chicago or Boston. And while it’s no guarantee any of these guys find themselves donning a different uniform after a trade, there’s little doubt their talent and experience would certainly be quite valuable for QBs trying to blossom.
Sometimes, taking a big swing is worth it for the hopeful future of the franchise.
All salary cap and contract information is courtesy of Over The Cap.
Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins
2023 cap hit: $3.9 million
Years left on contract: One
Likely trade return: First-round pick
Even if Bengals GM Duke Tobin is emphatic Higgins won’t be on the move, it’s also “lying season.” And in lying season, when the entire league is gathered in one place at the Scouting Combine, nothing is ever as it seems. Sometimes the nature of a rigid salary cap that forces you to prioritize other core players is too much to overcome.
In Tobin’s case, the Bengals have a top-5 QB in Joe Burrow and a top-5 WR in Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow has two years left on his rookie deal, while Chase has three. And while Higgins might have comparable No. 1 ability that helps separate Cincinnati from the rest of the AFC pack, letting three players potentially take up almost $100 million of your cap space isn’t the smartest team-building. (Note: The salary cap will be a record projected $224.8 million in 2023.)
Tobin and Co. could ride it out with Higgins on the last year of his contract or give him a deserved extension and see what happens. The prudent approach would be recouping a top draft asset and replacing Higgins or filling another significant roster hole.
The Bengals probably aren’t going anywhere as long as Burrow is their QB. But they’d still do well not to hurt any part of their future that could force Burrow to do too much for a top-heavy squad. Building around WRs and keeping Higgins in the long-term risks could be dangerous.
They could take solace knowing that a prospective trade partner would project Higgins as the centerpiece of its offense while giving him the target volume of a No. 1. That reality alone would drive his price up to a comfortable place for Cincinnati.
Los Angeles Chargers: Keenan Allen
2023 cap hit: $21.7 million
Years left on contract: Two
Likely trade return: Day 3 draft pick (fourth or fifth-round)
Like everyone’s favorite orange and black-striped Bengal tigers, the Chargers maintain they won’t be dealing Allen away. The 30-year-old is probably too important to Justin Herbert to justify a trade. However, with L.A. already up tight against the financial wall (just over $20 million in cap space), it likely either trades the five-time Pro Bowler’s (2017-2021) top-11 salary cap hit or just cuts him outright.
For a perennially cursed team chasing the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, I’d advise GM Tom Telesco to find a dancing partner for Allen’s services. The Chargers could use all the help they can get.
But there’s an issue: Pervasive injury issues have led Allen to play a full season just once in his entire career. Over the last three years, he’s missed 11 of a possible 50 starts. This sort of health rap sheet is untenable to justify asking for anything more than a mid-round draft pick. The Chargers have little to no leverage.
It’s better than letting someone of Allen’s talent walk for nothing.
New Orleans Saints: Michael Thomas
2023 cap hit: $13.5 million
Years left on contract: Two
Likely trade return: Day 3 draft pick (fifth or sixth-round)
A recent Saints restructure of Thomas’ lucrative contract from 2019 is writing on the wall — he’s not long for New Orleans.
The rationale is simple.
Thomas, once a two-time First-Team All-Pro (2018-2019), has barely seen the field lately. Ankle and foot injuries have robbed the receiver of 42 games over the last three years, including the entire 2021 campaign. At only 29 years old, there’s still a solid chance Thomas has plenty left in the tank. That said, it’s justifiable the cash-strapped Saints no longer have room for a receiver compensated like a No. 1 who never plays.
Provided Thomas gives it the old college try to continue forging a bright NFL career, his possession man skill set is an ideal set-up for a young passer. The additional upside is that he’d come cheap (the Saints will try to recover what assets they can). It’d be a low-risk, high-reward move for a talented veteran in the “prove-it” phase of his career.
Houston Texans: Brandin Cooks
2023 cap hit: $26.4 million
Years left on contract: 2
Likely trade return: Day 2 draft pick (second or third-rounder)
The Texans may have a brilliant new head coach in DeMeco Ryans, but Cooks probably won’t be around to see through his vision.
The speedster Cooks was clearly already pretty upset when Houston didn’t deal him at the trade deadline. Now, with a potentially extended rebuild from Ryans and Co., it’s understandable if they’d prefer to get younger at receiver. While plenty of treads remain on his tires, Cooks will be 30 next fall. He fits far better as a critical cog for a prospective contender than an organization tearing down to the studs.
It’s a good thing the Texans seem to recognize this fact. As rumors swirl around Cooks and a potential trade, it feels like it’d be a long shot to see him in a Texans helmet in 2023. Plus, if Houston is willing to eat much of Cooks’ current salary, it could even find itself with a top draft commodity as a trade return.
One of the last times Cooks played for a young quarterback on the rise was with the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff. The receiver was integral to helping Goff take L.A. to Super Bowl 53. Chances are, of all the names on this list, Cooks seems very likely to replicate such magic in the coming years.
Arizona Cardinals: DeAndre Hopkins
2023 cap hit: $30.7 million
Years left on contract: Two
Likely trade return: Day 2 draft pick (second or third-round)
At 4-13, the Cardinals just had their worst season in half a decade. Kyler Murray is recovering from a torn ACL. And GM Steve Keim has stepped down while Kliff Kingsbury might be chilling out in Thailand.
So you tell me if new head coach Jonathan Gannon sounds like a man who plans to keep an older WR like Hopkins around Arizona’s active mess:
“Yeah, I’m not sure. We’re evaluating everyone.”
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on whether or not WR DeAndre Hopkins will be on the roster this season pic.twitter.com/OneBMcIUfi
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) February 28, 2023
Estimated translation: “He’s [Hopkins] is a good player, but we’d rather trade him now; we just don’t have anything meaningful in the works yet. Even if we did, I surely wouldn’t discuss it at this microphone.”
Goodness, I love coach-speak this time of year.
At his best, Hopkins is in the conversation for the NFL’s top receiver. He’s a deep threat. He’s a possession target. He’s a polished route runner. He does it all and has little flaws. At his worst … well, we haven’t seen Hopkins’ “worst” yet, have we?
But even that notion comes with a caveat. As a receiver who saw at least 150 targets from 2015-2020, he will be 31 during the 2023 season. Playmakers with this sort of profile and workload don’t typically last much longer. Fortunately for Hopkins (and, to a lesser extent, the Cardinals), he hasn’t played much over the last two seasons. (Partly due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension.)
Call it a hunch, but I think a superstar like Hopkins is more in line with the Randy Moss and Terrell Owens’ of the world, who thrived well into their 30s. This is excellent news for a team that wants Hopkins in the fold and Arizona … if it wants to start a new era on the outside.
Denver Broncos: Jerry Jeudy
2023 cap hit: $4.8 million
Years left on contract: One
Likely trade return: Day 2 draft pick (second or third-round)
At this stage of his career, Jeudy is a bit more name than substance, thanks to his status as a former first-round pick. But of all the names on this list, I think Jeudy would be the least likely to wear different colors next year.
Why? Sean Payton now calls the Colorado Front Range home.
Even though Payton will be running a tighter ship, the Broncos and GM George Paton are less likened to offloading relatively disappointing foundational pieces. That includes Jeudy.
I wouldn’t completely rule out Jeudy catching passes from someone other than Russell Wilson in 2023, though. If Payton describes helping Wilson as “taking him off the high dive,” you could expect a greater emphasis on a successful ground game in Denver. Such a shift would seemingly make Jeudy less of a focus in the Broncos’ offensive scheme.
Jeudy isn’t a potential trade target for a young QB because he’s older or should play for a contender. A player with a possible fifth-year option on the table would never fit that bill. He could be part of a trade because he’d no longer be part of a viable offensive philosophy.
Do I agree with such a notion? Probably not.
Do I love the possible fireworks Jeudy could unleash as the focal point of another franchise’s plans? Absolutely.
San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk
2023 cap hit: $3.9 million
Years left on contract: One
Likely trade return: First-round pick
Aiyuk and some other big-name 49ers spent much of their winter talking about sour grapes. Given the 49ers’ current roster construct, these might have been the last united moments Aiyuk shared with his San Francisco teammates.
Let’s do the math.
Even with likely pending free agents such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Mike McGlinchey, the 49ers don’t have much financial flexibility moving forward. After a Defensive Player of the Year Award, Nick Bosa could seek a bank-breaking contract extension.
So where does San Francisco trim the fat? On offense, no doubt.
If they’re not cutting or trading George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, or Christian McCaffrey — who are all under contract and handsomely paid through at least 2025 — who does that leave? Their No. 4 option in Aiyuk. It’s the nature of the beast that teams can’t preserve their excellent cores as long as they want.
But like the Bengals and Higgins, the 49ers could theoretically flip Aiyuk for what they originally acquired him for — a first-round pick (in 2020). Throw in a trade partner imagining the explosive Aiyuk getting the volume of a No. 1 receiver, and dealing him away would have minimal pain.
It’s a projection, but at 25 years old come 2023, Aiyuk would be the face of an ideal blockbuster trade for a young QB.
