We are inside of a month before the expiration of the NFL trade deadline, Nov. 10, the final day teams can barter players and, maybe, draft picks – whether to improve themselves in the short term or lay the groundwork for a rebuild or reload.
That means over the next four weeks, the league will continue to sort clubs into buyers or sellers − presumably, though a logjam of the middle class could complicate that. Also? Plenty of rumors and wild scenarios are going to gain oxygen.
While doing his podcast this week, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter – because insiders must generate content, too – floated the notion of the currently winless Los Angeles Chargers moving on from QB Justin Herbert, based on conversations with his sources. This also sounded
like a pure hypothetical Schefter stumbled upon, but he checked in with his LA people anyway and relayed the answer he apparently got from someone with the Bolts: “Let me be very clear about this. We have never even discussed that idea. The sentence "Should we trade Justin Herbert?" has never once been uttered in our organization, nor will it be.”
That settles that?
(And, in case you were wondering, yes – Herbert’s contract actually is tradeable. It would be a $50 million cap hit for the Chargers, but that’s the cost of doing business anymore, particularly at QB, and they could afford it – especially at a time when they would clearly be opting for a reboot if they were to choose such a course of action.)
But enough about Herbert. And Marvin Harrison Jr. and Joey Porter Jr., who were already part of a saturated not-as-good-as-dad trade market. Here are 16 players you should actually keep tabs on as potentially logical acquisition targets ahead of next month’s cutoff:
Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens and CB Joey Porter Jr.
Say what? Hear me out. The Cowboys could certainly still win the NFC East as many pundits – hand raised – expected them to do this year. They’re also currently 2-3 and in the midst of what seems like another defensive crisis, one that certainly has the potential of making Jerry Jones think twice if this team is 3-6 by decision day. And Dallas has no third-round pick next year after acquiring OT Broderick Jones from Pittsburgh, and no second-rounder in 2028 due to the recent trade for Porter. Furthermore, both Pickens, 25, another ex-Steeler who’s currently playing on a $27.3 million franchise tag this season, and Porter, 26, will be free agents next year. It's hard to see a scenario where each returns to Big D in 2027 – and if this season continues to head south, the smart move might be to get rid of one or both if there’s more to be had than future compensatory picks.
Arizona Cardinals OLB Josh Sweat
He can set an edge effectively and hunt passers, whether deployed in three- or four-man fronts. Sweat, 29, made a case to be the MVP of Super Bowl 60 for the Eagles after collecting 2½ sacks of Patrick Mahomes in Philly’s blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6-5, 265-pounder is now in the second season of a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the struggling Cardinals but has no guaranteed money beyond this season. He could be the final piece for a team looking to put a cherry on top of a championship-caliber (or championship-adjacent) defense … assuming he can pick up his play after registering just one sack so far this season.
Los Angeles Chargers OLB Khalil Mack
Even at 35, the nine-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year remains a force in this league – one who’s in the year-to-year portion of his career, unsigned for 2027. And given his age, he might not cost as much to obtain as a player like Sweat – particularly for a team that might merely be all in for the short run only. And with three sacks and 16 QB pressures, per Next Gen Stats, Mack is also currently playing better than Sweat.
Washington Commanders OLB K'Lavon Chaisson
Want to add a decent situational pass rusher to your rotation but maybe at a more reasonable price than Mack or Sweat? Chaisson has generated a 13.6% pressure rate (and 2½ sacks) this season. Perhaps better, a potential suitor would only have to pay the prorated portion of his $3.3 million base salary for the remainder of the season … assuming, of course, the Commanders wind up in sell mode – let’s just hope they don’t wait until Nov. 11 to start fielding calls.
Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt
Can you imagine? If not, then try as I acknowledge the now Porter-less Steelers are 3-2 and currently in the playoff mix. And, admittedly, exporting a face of the franchise in the middle of a season – and effectively waving the white flag – would be far from a typical Steelers move. But keep walking with me here. Watt turned 32 a few days ago. Pittsburgh has already extended Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, both much younger pass rushers than Watt. Porter just got sent packing. Watt was seen in Cleveland earlier this month visibly frustrated with his coaches. And, if the Steelers fall off the playoff pace – or even if they don’t – they need to have an eye on 2027 and the likelihood that it could be rebuild territory or, at the very least, the right time to target the young franchise quarterback they’ve been unable to obtain since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Moving a player of Watt’s caliber and the return he would command could be the best chip GM Omar Khan has if he opts to accrue draft capital in 2027. Such a move would also provide Khan cap relief given Watt's $32 million base salary, both this year and next, is guaranteed.
Tennessee Titans RB Tony Pollard
Now in his walk year in Nashville – and a time when the winless Titans clearly aren’t going anywhere – he’s working on a fifth straight season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and has averaged 42 receptions over the previous four years. A pretty good dual threat and one only owed the prorated amount of his $6.7 million base salary this season. Seems like a perfect Bengal, no?
Indianapolis Colts DT DeForest Buckner
The 32-year-old remains one of the league’s premier interior defensive disruptors. He’s also headed for free agency in 2027 and plays for a team light on draft assets next year in the wake of the 2025 trade for CB Sauce Gardner. And if the Colts continue to go down the tubes and are compelled to clean house early …
Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
… Yes, this could be a Christian McCaffrey-level deal waiting to happen. Keep walking with me. I’d suggest the Colts aren’t nearly as good as a 2-3 record that includes wins over a then-winless (and depleted) Texans team, followed by a victory over Washington’s third-string rookie quarterback. And if owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon decides to pull the plug on a team that clearly has holes and is about to develop more, dealing Taylor – and he could be the belle of this trade ball if he becomes available – would be the right move to initiate an overhaul … and maybe GM Chris Ballard’s last act of service to the organization. And if you’re thinking Taylor shouldn’t be available after signing a two-year, $44 million extension in August, think again. The Colts would only take a $10 million cap hit next year if they deal Taylor, 27, given he has no guarantees in either 2027 or 2028.
Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy
He signed a three-year, $52.5 million extension two years ago and responded with his first Pro Bowl season in 2024. But Jeudy’s production essentially fell by 50% in 2025 (50 catches, 602 yards, 2 TDs) amid the team’s unsettled QB situation, and he’s only caught eight of 15 targets so far this year – when the Browns chose wideouts in the first (KC Concepcion Jr.) and second (Denzel Boston) rounds of the draft. A change of scenery could make sense and moving Jeudy, 27, shouldn’t be especially difficult given he has no guaranteed money beyond this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin, DL Vita Vea and OLB Yaya Diaby
The Baker-less Bucs finally got their first win but don’t seem especially well positioned to stack more, so … Godwin, the veteran receiver, whose contract comes with an unusual team option for 2027, could be optimal for a team seeking depth or a WR2 down the stretch – think the 49ers, for example, where a reunion with Mike Evans might also make sense given the injury issues that team is currently facing. Tampa Bay has a young group of receivers on the way up anyway, so they’d be doing Godwin, 30, a solid by letting him go chase another ring.
Vea, who’s 31 and got a Band-Aid addendum to his contract as opposed to a lengthy extension after a summer standoff, could also make a much bigger impact for another team than he probably will for the Bucs this year. He is, however, guaranteed $23 million in 2027, so it would literally be an expensive move for prospective buyers. Diaby, in the final year of his rookie contract, could come much cheaper. He picked off Dak Prescott in last week’s upset of Dallas and had seven sacks and 66 pressures last year.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins and DE Maxx Crosby
I'm just sayin', let’s just keep an eye on things. The Silver and Black started 3-0. They’re now 3-2 and did not resemble a playoff team Sunday while surrendering 45 points to the Patriots. And a look at the upcoming schedule very much suggests that 3-2 could quickly become 3-6. If that comes to pass, there might be no better quarterback target – specifically for a team trying to bridge a mini-QB crisis – than Cousins, 38, who has played very well so far this season. He’s also on a one-year deal, so if you’re GM John Spytek, why wouldn’t you flip him if a compelling asset is offered? And if you say to keep No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza on the bench, Aidan O’Connell is just as capable of serving as cannon fodder down the stretch as Cousins is. As for Crosby? Spytek tried to trade him once, right? He almost certainly won’t field another offer like Baltimore’s back in March (two first-round picks) for a 29-year-old with a worrisome left knee. Still, Crosby remains a premier pass rusher – and while he’s off to a slow start in the sack department with two, he’s getting his job done at a high level (25 pressures and a 15.7% pressure rate, currently the second best of his eight-year career).
Arizona Cardinals QB Gardner Minshew II
Cousins lite? Minshew is an experienced starter with Pro Bowl bona fides but currently in a backup role and on a one-year pact for a team that will likely be targeting a new quarterback in next year's draft. He could also be an ideal alternative for a team that might suddenly find itself in a limited quarterback quandary, one that would theoretically require an experienced hand to steady a ship for a few weeks. And if J.J. McCarthy, a former first-round pick, only fetched a fifth-rounder, the price would surely be less for Minshew.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 16 NFL players who could be traded, including Jonathan Taylor and Kirk Cousins
