NFL Trade Rumors
There’s no official trade block in the NFL like there is in the average fantasy football league or Madden. Instead, each team keeps tabs on which players might be available across the other 31 teams. A publicly available trade block seems just like the task for a website named NFL Trade Rumors, so here’s a stab at it as we head into the dead period.
This list was compiled by monitoring depth charts, reports from beat writers and national insiders, buzz from coaches and a healthy dose of dot connecting. Not every player on this list will be traded but we do have a strong history of identifying potential trade targets and even being a step ahead of the curve.
The Falcons and Cousins would both love to find a trade partner, however, both sides have had unrealistic expectations of the market for most of the offseason. Atlanta was asking teams to pay far too much of Cousins’ remaining $27.5 million guaranteed salary, while Cousins threatened to exercise his no trade clause if dealt before the draft to a team that did not promise it wouldn’t draft another young passer like the Falcons did last year. In the end, the two sides are stuck with each other barring some kind of catastrophic injury to another team’s starting quarterback.
Cleveland will be a fascinating depth chart to monitor at quarterback as we get deeper into training camp. The Browns are probably not going to carry four quarterbacks on the regular season roster, meaning they’ll look to either cut one and sneak them to the practice squad or flip one to another team. Of the four — Sanders, Pickett, Joe Flacco and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel — I think Flacco and Gabriel have the most job security. Flacco is the current favorite to win the starting job, while Gabriel’s third-round draft capital is a notable sign of confidence by the organization.
That leaves Pickett and Sanders as the most likely trade candidates. The two were the cheapest to acquire, each arriving in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Pickett is in the final year of his rookie contract and has three years of below-average tape. But the Browns have talked him up a lot this offseason and he was the first quarterback they targeted this offseason.
Trading Sanders as a rookie would be unorthodox, but it’s worth noting Cleveland passed on Sanders several times in the draft, including to take another quarterback, before the value finally became too much to ignore. The Browns’ front office is value-obsessed, and Sanders is a potential buy-low/sell-high opportunity. He’s the passer the Browns could likely generate the strongest return off of if he has a solid preseason.
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