Top 15 NFL Trade Candidates

Often in pro sports, players are traded not because of need/fit but because of money. Players need new contracts and their current teams either don’t want to or are not in the position to give it to them. Sometimes The following is a list of players who could find new homes before the start of the season because they want new contracts that their current teams do not want to give. Below are the 15 players most likely to get traded for one reason or another but in no particular order…

Post AJ Brown

Kayvon Thibodeaux – EDGE – Giants
- Let’s get this straight, New Jersey is paying Thibodeaux nearly $15m this season to be their 4th string pass rusher? I know the Giants are a poorly run team, but that’s bad business. I suppose the idea is to get a 4th round pick or better in a trade to offset an optimistic compensatory pick. The problem is that any team who trades for him either has to pay that $15m without the ability to restructure or to give him a new contract which doesn’t seem wise at this point. Tough sledding.
Jordyn Brooks – LB – Dolphins
- Brooks is one of the last remaining Dolphin veterans with any real talent. He is also in the last year of his contract. If Miami doesn’t extend him, they would be smart to move him. An acquiring team would only have to fit the bill for an $8m base salary that can be restructured. Note: The Dolphins are a dumpster fire right now.
Cole Kmet – TE – Bears
- The Bears took Colston Loveland in the 1st round last year while still having Kmet in the middle of his 4/$50m extension. Having a starter type play backup on a vet contract isn’t ideal even if it gives Caleb Williams more options. The Bears have already restructured his contract so while that makes a deal less likely, it makes him more valuable to other teams thanks to a minimal base contract.
Devonte Wyatt – DT – Packers
- Wyatt is one of the Georgia boys who won championships with Nakobe Dean and Jalen Carter. He is playing on his 5th year option as a former first round pick who has yet to receive an extension. It is reported that the Packers are working on a new contract, but Wyatt has so far been a guy with a ton of talent but less than desirable production. That’s the kind of player who usually has a large delta between contract ask and contract offer. If no deal gets done, he would likely have a good market but it would leave a hole in the Packers line.
Daxton Hill – CB – Bengals
- The Bengals keep moving Hill around their secondary and he is not a fan. One of the reasons is that outside CB money is much better than safety or slot money and Hill is up for a new contract. While the Bengals need as much defensive talent as possible, they are also never ahead of the curve in terms of player relations and negotiation. Of course, that didn’t mean Trey Hendrickson was traded and that could not have worked out worse for Cincy.
Michael Mayer – TE – Raiders
- When healthy, Brock Bowers is maybe the best tight end in football. Of course, he missed a ton of last year. While the Raiders would probably love to keep Mayer there to help rookie Fernando Mendoza for just that reason, they should really consider trading the former Notre Dame TE. They are not going to extend him and he is a likely starter on more than half the teams in the NFL. Honestly, they should have done it a year ago.
Brian Branch – S – Lions
- This seems wild, but as a non-first round pick Branch is in the final year of his contract and would like a top of the market extension. Considering the Lions already have several players at the tops of their markets with more to come, Branch might end up being the odd man out. What they don’t want to do is bank on a comp pick that likely will not beat what they could get in a trade.
Denzel Ward – CB – Browns
- With the trade of Myles Garrett, Ward could finally see himself out of Cleveland as the other long time representative of the Orange and Brown. Ward has a $17m base salary this year which could be a tough pill for a new team to swallow even if it can be restructured. Instead of paying that, a new team might want to wait for him to be released.
Grant Delpit – S – Browns
- Delpit is in the final year of the rookie extension he signed in 2023. The Browns have already restructured his deal this year which means around $17m is waiting for them in dead cap next year, but that just makes him easier to trade. Resigning him at 29 next year does not seem like a good move for a team trying to get younger.
Jessie Bates – S – Falcons
- Bates is still playing at a high level, but the Falcons are a mess and JB3 is in the final year of the free agent contract he signed 3 years ago. He has a $13m base salary that is easily restructured. At 30 years old after the season, Bates is not part of the Falcons future.
Chris Olave – WR – Saints
- I do not really understand why Olave has not been extended yet. He is the only member of the 2022 first round that is worth an extension who has not inked a deal. The Saints were supposed to be bad last year but became surprisingly competent with Tyler Shaugh and Kellen Moore. If Olave is not part of their plans, they could probably get a haul for him considering the market for WRs right now. If I were to bet, I think he stays in New Orleans though.
Alvin Kamara – RB – Saints
- As for Kamara, I would not take that same Olave bet. His contract has already been restructured but are they really going to sign a 31-year-old running back to an extension? If they get any type of draft compensation for him, they need to take that deal. He may be a long time Saint, but for the good of the team get value for the next generation.
Josh Sweat – EDGE – Cardinals
- I went more into this last week, but Sweat just doesn’t belong on the Cardinals. They are a mess of a roster with almost no talent and Sweat’s value will never be higher. They are not in a position to hold on to him when they have no hope to win. The smart thing is to bottom out and get what they can. What are they holding on to?
Jeffery Simmons – DT – Titans
- Simmons is 29 and still one of the best DTs in the NFL. However, he does not have any guaranteed salary left on his 4/$94m rookie extension. At essentially just 2/$43m remaining, he is also underpaid. At some point he is going to need a new deal and the Titans might not want to give it to him considering he is on a different timeline from the rest of the team. Tennessee could clean up in a trade if they so chose.
Vita Vea – DT – Buccaneers
- Vea is likely staying with Tampa, but he is 31 and in the final year of his rookie extension from 2021. His production has slipped some, but his contract has been a bargain its entire length. Are they going to reward him for his year 32 season? Does he take a discount to stay? They have to be talking extension as we speak, so it will be interesting if a deal is not struck by the start of training camp.

Contracts: Spotrac

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