A quarter of the season is in the books — more or less, the switch to a 17-game season makes for milestones that aren’t as neat — and with October just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start really digging into what the midseason trade market will look like. Four games is enough to start separating the haves and the have-nots, and it’s also revealing which players might shake free ahead of the deadline.

From now until the NFL trade deadline on November 4, the Tuesday after the conclusion of Week 9, we’ll be taking a look around the league, position by position, at which players could potentially be on the block. This list was compiled by sifting through reports from beat writers and national media, as well as a dash of dot-connecting.

Quarterback

• Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
• Giants QB Russell Wilson

In-season quarterback trades are rare because of the unique mental load put on the position. Quarterbacks have to be experts in the offense and that’s hard to do without the benefit of an offseason and training camp. Being traded to a new team in the middle of the season would be like switching from a French class to a Mandarin and still being expected to ace the midterm.

That’s why teams tend to stick with in-house backups or players who have extensive prior experience in the coach’s offense when it comes to dealing with quarterback injuries. The Bengals, for instance, showed zero interest in going after anyone besides backup QB Jake Browning when starting QB Joe Burrow was lost for months. Sometimes the talent upgrade is worth it, though, and that’s why some trades for notable veterans can’t be completely ruled out even if it’s unlikely.

Cousins has been a clear trade candidate since he lost his starting job last year. However, his $27.5 million guaranteed salary and Atlanta’s unwillingness to eat a major portion of that prevented any deal from coming together this offseason. That money is even harder to move in-season, and Cousins still has a no-trade clause to veto any deal if he doesn’t like the landing spot. The odds are high that Cousins will finish out the year with the Falcons and then both sides will evaluate their options in the offseason.

Wilson is a different story. At just $2 million in base salary for 2025, Wilson’s contract is far easier to take on if a team is interested. The veteran was benched after just three games this year, which is a quicker hook than the parties involved likely imagined back when he was added to the team. Wilson is a fierce competitor and undoubtedly would welcome a chance to play, though he’s also said he’s not planning to rock the boat and ask for a trade or release.

The bigger question might be if the Giants would have any kind of trade market for Wilson. He diced up the Cowboys for 450 yards in Week 2, but his...