It’s Friday, and we have Week 8 and a trade deadline to get to …
One big question I’m getting: Could this weekend’s results change the course of action for potential deadline sellers?
The Broncos, Patriots and Vikings, all on that list, won in Week 7, and thanks to a mucked-up picture in both conferences (there’s one 6–1 team in each, and everyone else has at least two losses), it’d be easy for any of them to talk themselves into being a contender with another win. And, yet, I can say now I’d be pretty surprised if that happened.
I believe all three will stay the course, which means each will be listening to buyers.
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Minnesota had this year earmarked as the reset year from the time Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah arrived, and have carried out that plan, taking on over $30 million in dead money and shedding veterans such as Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks, even after last year’s 13–4 campaign. The Broncos’ second consecutive rickety start has the staff peeking at the future. And the Patriots, like Denver, need picks to build a new foundation.
We’ll cover all of them, and a few others, in this week’s trade-heavy tip sheet.
• Let’s start with the Vikings. They beat perhaps the most talented team in the league, the Niners, on Monday night, and they’re now sitting at 3–4, alone in second place in the NFC North and just two games back of the Lions for the lead. They’re also in a five-way tie for the conference’s final playoff spot.
So there won’t be any fire sale here. But there are names to watch, and the name that continues to be at the top of the list is Danielle Hunter, who’s due the prorated portion of his $10 million base for the rest of the year ($5.56 million after this week). Hunter turns 29 on Sunday, is still hyperproductive—he has a league-leading nine sacks through seven games—and would be a nice piece for someone such as Detroit that’s looking for a missing piece.
He, of course, will be expensive for anyone to re-sign. Which means the reality for any team trading for him is that you’re either getting a rental, or giving up draft capital and a monster contract at once. But he’s a really good player, and could be worth it for someone.
I’d have said, at one point, that maybe a third-round pick would get this done. But based on how he’s playing, my guess is the price has gone up.
As for other players on that roster, Jordan Hicks could be a good addition for someone as a defensive captain at linebacker. But I’d be stunned if they entertained moving Kirk Cousins at this point, and I don’t think they’d trade Harrison Smith unless it’s really what Smith wanted.
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• Denver’s in an interesting spot in that they have a number of players that would draw interest—Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Garett Bolles, Josey Jewell, Justin Simmons and, of course, Patrick Surtain II. This won’t be a fire sale.
That said, the Broncos are actively looking for draft picks, so they’ll listen to any offer.
The price to start a conversation on Jeudy was a first-round pick, and on Sutton it was a second-round selection in April before the draft. If they could get that return for either now, I think they’d listen. Bolles would be a little more difficult to trade for Denver, because of how losing a left tackle without a real replacement would impact the overall operation. And the price on Surtain, I believe, would be more than what the Jaguars got for Jalen Ramsey in 2019 (two firsts and a fourth).
Jewell could be an interesting target for a team such as Buffalo that’s had some attrition at the position.
• New England’s another one that’s been sniffing around, seeing what’s out there for their players draft-pick-wise. Of course, Bill Belichick would need to rubber-stamp any trade, but the team does have a boatload of contract-year vets who could be tradable.
The three young players that best fit that description would be OL Mike Onwenu, S Kyle Dugger and DE Josh Uche. I’d be surprised if Onwenu was dealt, because of what removing him from a shaky offensive-line group would do to their ability to evaluate Mac Jones over the remainder of the season. For the same reason, I’d be surprised if they dealt Kendrick Bourne out of that receiver room.
That leaves Uche and Dugger. And Uche, who’s more of a designated pass rusher in the Patriots’ defense, is the guy most likely to be moved, because he’ll probably be the most difficult of the group to re-sign. He also has, as an edge rusher, a premium skill that could bring New England a decent return.
Jalen Mills would be one other name to watch.
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• Interestingly enough, the 1–6 Cardinals haven’t been very active in trade discussions to this point, even with some guys they could value in return.
Hollywood Brown, in a contract year and still 26, has drawn some interest, and has the gamebreaking element a lot of teams are looking to add to their offense, so he might be one to watch. I’d expect Budda Baker and D.J. Humphries (with Paris Johnson Jr. as the left tackle of the future) could bring some value back, too. But Baker is signed for another year past this one, and Humphries is signed for two, so there’s no urgency to move either guy.
The other thing? Arizona’s playing well under Jonathan Gannon. With an undermanned roster, I can see where it’d make sense to reward players who have bought in by keeping the band together for the duration of the new coach and GM Monti Ossenfort’s first season.
• Want a surprise seller? My understanding is the Eagles are open to deal edge rusher Derek Barnett, who could be a decent addition to someone’s defensive end rotation.
Of course, Philly GM Howie Roseman could also keep buying after landing Titans safety Kevin Byard this week. A big swing (Surtain?) is possible, as is the idea that Philly could add an off-ball linebacker such as a Jewell or Hicks (who happens to be a former Eagle).
• The winless Panthers won’t hang up on teams calling, and they have players that would be of real interest to contenders.
The most obvious one is Brian Burns, a high-end edge rusher who’s on an expiring contract and is just 25 years old. The Rams offered Carolina first-round picks in 2024 and ’25, and a ’23 third-rounder for Burns before last year’s trade deadline. And things haven’t gotten a lot better between Burns and the team—he staged a hold-in this summer with his contract talks going nowhere, and sources say negotiations haven’t progressed since the opener.
Carolina has the franchise tag in its back pocket, so it doesn’t have to move Burns now. And it’s not actively shopping him. But if someone blows them away? Maybe.
Part of the issue for the Panthers is that a few guys who would’ve been trade pieces now—primarily safety Jeremy Chinn and linebacker Shaq Thompson—are hurt. Which probably leaves receiver Terrace Marshall and corner Donte Jackson as the most likely guys to be moved.
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• The Titans have told other teams that they will continue to listen on their pending free agents, and there are really interesting names that fall into that category. Most interesting would probably be Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins, Teair Tart, Denico Autry and Kristian Fulton. Tennessee, of course, is going through a reset year under first-year GM Ran Carthon, and the injury to Ryan Tannehill only added to the idea that the franchise is looking to the future.
• The Bears have sent mixed signals on their intentions, but continue to listen. And corner Jaylon Johnson and receiver Darnell Mooney are two young vets in contract years that would be of interest to other teams.
• Seattle’s one final team I’ve had my eye on. They were open to dealing Darrell Taylor before Uchenna Nwosu was hurt, and have also been sniffing around on adding some depth on the edge. So I’d expect that the Seahawks will be active on the phone over the next four days.
