We are past the days of the NFL trade deadline being a dormant period of inactivity.
In recent years, general managers and head coaches have clearly realized it isn’t that hard to integrate new players mid-season. If a good team needs pieces to make a real playoff or championship run, it usually sheds its inhibitions now. Heck, I certainly don’t blame the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers for going all out by adding Von Miller and Christian McCaffrey in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
All this to say: Expect more of the same at this year’s 4 p.m. ET deadline on Halloween. Squads are no longer apprehensive about adding talent where they can. And anyone willing to sell understands it’s worth getting pieces for the future rather than riding out a middling or lost season. That means more fireworks and more whirlwind fun to keep track of in the coming days.
Buckle up.
Below is a list of top NFL veterans who could be traded before Halloween. Some are more obvious — take a particular veteran running back, for example. Others will require some prudence and forward-thinking from organizations that should realize there’s nothing left to play for in 2023.
Note: This is not a ranking.
1
WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
Jeudy has been a massive disappointment with the Broncos. He’s fallen way short of his former first-round draft pick status in 2020. Fewer than 200 catches in almost 40 starts just isn’t going to cut it. Not to mention that his relationship with the Broncos also appears to be fractured, making his days in Denver appear increasingly numbered. However, a change of scenery for a player with a lot of natural ability might be just what the doctor ordered.
2
CB Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos
Yes, another Broncos player because, yes, they should be selling.
In Surtain’s case, he’s arguably one of the finest young foundational pieces in pro football. He’s already garnered a First-Team All-Pro selection and won’t turn 24 until the spring. But Denver is in earnest need of a full-scale rebuild after it (inevitably) moves on from Russell Wilson (somehow) this offseason. And rebuilds need a stockpile of draft picks. If the Broncos put Surtain on the trade block, they’d likely be very satisfied with any potential return.
3
EDGE Brian Burns
The Panthers could’ve garnered multiple first-round picks from the Los Angeles Rams for Burns’ services last year. They declined. And rather than extend a player they turned down a king’s ransom for, they’ve hung him out to dry. Huh. Unless Carolina is still keen on a contract extension for a 25-year-old franchise pass rusher, both parties should probably move on and find Burns a better home.
4
EDGE Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are in the process of saving their season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dip their toes into both pools of water. Since entering the NFL in 2015, Hunter has quietly been one of the league’s more productive pass rushers, accumulating 80 career sacks and more than 120 quarterback hits in 80 career starts. Hunter is still just 28 and remains one of the better edge presences around. But he also needs an extension, one the Vikings don’t seem all that willing to reward him with. Any squad looking to make noise this January would be well served to add Hunter as its missing puzzle piece.
5
WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
A former fifth-round draft pick, Mooney burst onto the scene as an electric burner for the Bears from 2020 to 2021. But anemic Chicago passing offenses ever since have mired Mooney’s production on the field. And now, he needs an extension the Bears don’t seem all that keen on handing out. In a more efficient passing attack, he could easily be a high-level contributor.
6
CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Johnson is the best cornerback you don’t know. If the Bears indeed want to deal the former second-round pick, he might also be the top available player at this entire trade deadline. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson owns the league’s top coverage grade and has played like a shutdown cornerback (when available) all season. However, an iffy history of injuries and a small number of takeaways could diminish Johnson’s value. Any fringe contender (the Dallas Cowboys?) seeking secondary help will cross their fingers about Johnson’s ailments and justify his poor turnover numbers by pointing to a middling Bears pass rush. On the latter sentiment, they probably won’t be wrong.
7
WR/RB Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons
The versatile Patterson revitalized his career in Atlanta in 2021, effectively painting himself as a borderline future Hall of Famer. But a glut of talent and an overstocked Atlanta depth chart at receiver and running back have now limited what one of the NFL’s best-ever pure “sprinters” can achieve on the field. He just doesn’t have a large role with the Falcons anymore. That said, Patterson should be enticing to contenders who need more guys who can turn three inches of space into 50-yard gains.
8
EDGE Carl Lawson, New York Jets
Gang Green has so much defensive line talent that its backup unit could feasibly start for a majority of the league. I’m not even remotely being hyperbolic. The veteran Lawson is a fixture of that second unit and projects as someone who could shine again with more snaps in another city.
9
RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
The Titans already signaled they were thinking of rebuilding when they dealt away former perennial Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles. If a “Mr. Titan” like Byard wasn’t safe, then neither would be Henry — one of the greatest players in franchise history. While he’s evidently lost a step, given all the mileage on his tires, Henry remains an upper-echelon workhorse tailback. He’s on pace for another 1,200 rushing yards and is still hovering above four yards a carry despite the Titans’ rampant offensive struggles. The veteran star deserves a real chance to win before he finally hangs his shoulder pads up because it won’t happen in Nashville.
10
EDGE Montez Sweat, Washington Commanders
Give the Commanders some credit. They’re seeing the forest for the trees and realizing they can’t hand out monster contracts to four separate defensive linemen if they want to build a good team. In this case, that’s Sweat, Chase Young, Jonathan Allen AND Daron Payne. In specific regards to Sweat, he’s not a first-tier pass rusher, but he does have plenty of production to warrant an early Day 2 draft pick in April if the Commanders send him away. One team has already reportedly reached out about Sweat. Stay tuned.
11
EDGE Chase Young, Washington Commanders
Injuries have mired Young’s early career. But that doesn’t mean anyone should write off the former No. 2 overall pick’s potential. In his return to full-time action this season, Young has already amassed five sacks and nine quarterback hits. He’s on pace for career highs in every relevant pass-rushing metric, and he looks like he’s finally living up to the hype. Still, Young’s shaky medical history will scare a lot of teams away from making any significant investment until they see even more. If Commanders are hoping for solid compensation by trading Young, they’re sorely mistaken.
12
WR DeAndre Hopkins
Oh, look, Hopkins’ choice to go to a mediocre Titans team hasn’t worked out. Who could have possibly predicted this? In all seriousness, if Tennessee is cutting bait with Henry, it doesn’t make sense to keep Hopkins around, either. Especially with no one reliable to throw him the ball. The veteran still has something in the tank — he is on pace for almost 80 catches and nearly 1,100 yards. Win-now teams who need more offensive diversity (the Buffalo Bills?) should be chomping at the bit to add him.
13
WR Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders
Once a premier slot receiver, adjacency to Josh McDaniels (and Davante Adams essentially swallowing his snaps) have made Renfrow a non-factor in recent years. But he’s still just 27 with plenty of fuel in the tank for the right situation. Call it a hunch, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see the guy who caught more than 100 passes in 2021 thrive again elsewhere.
14
WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Evans is one of the finest receivers of his generation. It’s becoming apparent the Buccaneers should cut bait on him before Baker Mayfield sails another pass over his head. There is nothing Evans can’t do on the field. Even at the age of 30, he’s a dynamic vertical threat that runs a complete route tree. The playmaker will cost a lot in any theoretical trade (new contract included), but the price will almost certainly be worth it.
15
LB Devin White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At his best, White is a premier off-ball linebacker who creates impactful plays out of thin air. At his worst, a frustrating inconsistency sees White out of position far too often to consider him a wholly elite defender. Any prospective team trying to take advantage of a potential Buccaneers firesale should know whether White’s flaws can be concealed by its scheme.
16
WR Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Brown is a former high-priced trade acquisition for the Cardinals, and he hasn’t met his end of the bargain. A lot of that can be attributed to the inconsistency and absence of Kyler Murray, but it doesn’t completely absolve Brown from being a complete non-factor of late. In a down rebuilding year, it wouldn’t be unfathomable to see Arizona offload Brown to a more functional offense.
17
S Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
A five-time Pro Bowler and two-time former First-Team All-Pro, Baker’s pedigree can’t be questioned. When healthy, he’s a thoroughly elite defender who can quarterback a secondary and ad-lib game-changing plays. But that’s the rub. Baker was only recently activated off injured reserve after a shoulder injury. As he plays himself into shape, he would probably be better off featuring on a team closer to contention. Arizona would be selling low on Baker, but a potential Day 2 selection isn’t negligible.
