Well, here we are. It’s that part of the year where the Super Bowl just finished and we’re all just sitting with blank stares waiting for the new league year to begin in a month.
In that dead time, though, there will be plenty of speculation on upcoming free agents, as well as players that could be traded once teams are allowed to do so. With that in mind, these are five trades that need to happen.
Khalil Mack to the Detroit Lions
- Detroit Lions receive: EDGE Khalil Mack
- Los Angeles Chargers receive: 2024 fifth-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
Mack has a whopping $38.5 million cap hit in 2024, and the Chargers need to free up a lot of money. For the Lions, they need another edge rusher opposite of Aidan Hutchinson. The former first-round pick registered 11.5 sacks, and no other player on the Lions’ roster had more than five. Mack is coming off a 17 sack season, and acquiring him would give the Lions another top-notch pass rusher to take away attention from Hutchinson and make their defense that much better. It may not be a king’s ransom in return for the Chargers, but a pair of Day Three picks is better than receiving nothing and just cutting the veteran edge rusher.
Jahan Dotson to the Kansas City Chiefs
- Kansas City Chiefs receive: WR Jahan Dotson
- Washington Commanders receive: 2024 fifth-round pick
This one may come out of left field, but Dotson would be a very fun addition to the Chiefs’ offense.
Patrick Mahomes made chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what with the likes of Kadarius Toney and Richie James. Dotson had a down year after a very promising rookie season in Washington. It wouldn’t be the only move Kansas City would need to make at receiver, but trading a Day Three pick for Dotson is a low risk, high reward scenario that could result in the Chiefs having a reliable slot receiver.
Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Steelers receive: QB Justin Fields
- Bears receive: 2024 second-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
Now onto the most obvious part of the list. The Steelers clearly have a quarterback problem, as Kenny Pickett is the only quarterback on the roster, and he’s bad at football. Pittsburgh just released backup Mitch Trubisky, and third-stringer Mason Rudolph, who led them to the playoffs, is likely to sign elsewhere.
The Steelers have had T.J. Watt since 2017- they have won a grand total of zero playoff games with him. He, along with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward, aren’t getting younger. The Steelers need to get an upgrade at quarterback, and Fields would thrive in Arthur Smith’s system. Is it a risk trading for a guy who hasn’t won a lot? Sure. But it’s also a risk starting a guy everyone knows can’t play. Take the risk with the higher upside and trade for Fields.
Haason Reddick to the Houston Texans
- Houston Texans receive: EDGE Haason Reddick
- Philadelphia Eagles receive: 2024 second-round pick
This would be very fun. Having Reddick on the opposite side of Will Anderson? Good luck everybody else.
Similar to the Lions acquiring Mack, this would pair a young, up-and-coming star off the edge with a veteran star who also requires heavy attention. Jonathan Greenard is coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks, but is set to be a free agent. Even so, Reddick would be an upgrade over Greenard, and worth acquiring.
Brandon Aiyuk to the Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bills receive: WR Brandon Aiyuk
- San Francisco 49ers receive: 2024 first-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick
The Bills should sprint to the phone and see what it would take to acquire the star receiver from the 49ers. Gabe Davis is a free agent, and if we’re being honest, one the Bills should not pay. His run blocking was his biggest asset, and he had seven games where he caught one or zero passes.
The Bills need a real weapon at receiver, and Aiyuk would step in and be the top guy in their offense. Stefon Diggs showed signs that he was losing a step down the stretch, as he went through his own slump. After having five 100 yard games in the first six weeks of the season, Diggs didn’t have another such performance for the rest of the year, and had six games with four or fewer catches and seven games of fewer than 50 yards receiving.
Acquiring Aiyuk to be the top target in the offense, while Diggs still gets respectable looks as the No. 2 guy would be great for the Bills. They’d still have work to do, but this would be a big feather in their cap.
