Sometimes, the worst deal is the one you never make.
And while the NFL trade deadline isn’t until Nov. 5, there’s a looming receiver bonanza on the horizon for general managers willing to partake.
Looking around the league, most of the sellers are flush with pass catchers on contracts either palatable or expiring. As importantly, there are a litany of contenders who could use another weapon on the perimeter.
The combination is going to create a very intriguing dynamic.
Considering the records of their teams and their contracts, here are a few names to watch, along with the final year of their deal:
• Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders (2026)
• Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns (2024)
• Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (2024)
• DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans (2024)
• Tyler Boyd, Tennessee Titans (2024)
• Darius Slayton, New York Giants (2024)
• Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers (2025)
• Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers (2024)
• Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars (2025)
• K.J. Osborn, New England Patriots (2024)
• Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (2026)
• Odell Beckham Jr., Miami Dolphins (2024)
• Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (2026)
• Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (2024)
• Mike Williams, New York Jets (2024)
While only some of the aforementioned names are true game-breakers, all are impactful. For contenders looking to bolster themselves with a secondary threat or even one of the bigger headliners, the cost might not be prohibitive.
Surveying the landscape, there’s a plethora of playoff and Super Bowl hopefuls which should jump into the fray.
The Buffalo Bills are without top-end talent on the outside. The Kansas City Chiefs lost Marquise Brown for most if not all of the season, before losing Rashee Rice to a torn LCL. The Washington Commanders have an elite receiver in Terry McLaurin, but virtually nothing of note opposite him. The Los Angeles Chargers are arguably more barren at receiver than any other good team. The Baltimore Ravens have Zay Flowers, but very little else to back opponents off. The Pittsburgh Steelers have George Pickens and …
The list goes on. And with the glut of options for teams looking to acquire, there’s a strong argument to be made this is a buyer’s market.
Last year, four receivers were dealt within a month of the deadline. Those deals went accordingly:
• Chase Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for a ’25 sixth-round pick.
• Van Jefferson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Rams for a ’25 sixth-round pick.
• Mecole Hardman and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Chiefs for a ’25 sixth-round pick.
• Donavan Peoples-Jones to the Browns for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
In 2022, the market was much friendlier to sellers. The Giants got third- and sixth-round picks from the Chiefs for Kadarius Toney. Claypool went from the Steelers to the Chicago Bears for a second-rounder, which turned out to be No. 32 (there were only 31 first-round picks that year). Even Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for a gambling violation, fetched fourth- and fifth-round picks for the Atlanta Falcons from the Jaguars.
So where does that leave us this year, with a significant supply but also significant demand?
We’ll likely see the highest prices for deals made furthest in advance of the deadline, when general managers looking to deal away talent for picks can be more judicious. This is especially true with bigger-named talents, specifically Adams, Hopkins and Cooper. Still, even for that trio, Hopkins and Cooper are on expiring deals, while Adams is 32 years old and will need a restructure. In short, don’t expect massive packages for them in return.
Then there’s Higgins. It’s unclear whether the Bengals, despite their 1–4 mark, would be willing to sell. But if so, Higgins is on the franchise tag, which means a prorated payout of $21.8 million and no ability to negotiate an extension until after the season. Not great selling points.
If we’re looking for connections from seller to contender, here are a few factors to consider:
Should the Jets miss out on Adams despite his ties to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Cooper could be an option. Quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator Todd Downing spent 2017 as the Oakland Raiders’ offensive coordinator, when Cooper caught seven touchdowns despite playing only 14 games.
In Kansas City, the Chiefs were reportedly interested in trading for Johnson this past offseason, and previously targeted Hopkins before he signed with Tennessee. There’s also the connection of GM Brett Veach and Dolphins GM Chris Grier, with the duo having put together the Tyreek Hill trade in 2022. Finally, Veach traded to bring back Hardman last season. Would he do the same for Robinson, who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in the ’19 season?
In that same vein, what about the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings? While Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are the headliners, is there a minor move to be made? Coach Kevin O’Connell was with the Rams at the same time Beckham helped them win Super Bowl LVI as a midseason addition. There’s also Osborn, who spent 2020 to ’23 with the Vikings and, like Beckham, would cost virtually nothing.
Then there’s Buffalo, as Bills general manager Brandon Beane came from Carolina and has a relationship with Panthers GM Dan Morgan, who spent three years under Beane as Buffalo’s director of player personnel. For Thielen and Johnson, Buffalo must be considered a favorite.
The same is true of the Bills and Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who came from Buffalo after working for five years as Beane’s assistant general manager. Slayton wouldn’t be a game-breaker for the Bills, but he’d arguably be the best wideout on the team.
In Jacksonville, the 1–4 Jaguars might try to shed salary and move off Kirk. If that happens, watch for the Commanders. Kirk played three years under Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who coached him with the Arizona Cardinals.
For the Chargers, could a reunion with Williams work? Los Angeles is a playoff contender but not likely to make a deep run. Williams won’t cost more than a late-round draft choice, but would give the team a meaningful addition and a familiar face for Justin Herbert to target, as Williams spent the first seven years of his career with the Bolts.
With less than a month until the deadline, talks should start heating up. The standings are packed tight, with only the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Chiefs, Vikings and Commanders without at least two losses.
In a year which looks to have immense parity, making the best deal could be the difference between being a fringe playoff team and one with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
With so many options available, the only wrong choice is a choice not made at all.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Bunch of Impactful Wide Receivers Could Move at NFL Trade Deadline.
