NFL Trade Rumors
With all the talk about the upcoming NFL trade deadline, you’ll find no shortage of scoffs from NFL sources in various insider pieces about how the deadline is more hoopla than substance. They’ll point to the imbalanced ratio of talk to action, with far more speculation about potential trades than actual, real-life deals.
To some degree, those folks are right. It’s hard to make meaningful improvements during the midseason trade deadline — and it’s a lot easier to trade away players in a video game or fantasy football when there aren’t real-life locker room and job security impacts. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to thread the needle. In recent years with NFL front offices becoming more aggressive, there are more and more examples of the trade deadline becoming a real opportunity for savvy teams.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some potential trades that could go down before the deadline. Not just any trades either, big deals that could have a major impact on the rest of this season or for seasons to come.
Details: New York sends 2027 3rd, 2026 5th for Ridley, 2026 6th.
There are some conflicting reports about how serious the Giants are about trading for a receiver before the deadline but the buzz has been too persistent to dismiss completely. New York lost one of the league’s brightest rising stars when WR Malik Nabers tore his ACL, dulling a bit of the excitement around an offense riding a spark from first-round QB Jaxson Dart and fourth-round RB Cam Skattebo. There’s no way to replace a player like Nabers midseason but the Giants are exploring their options to ensure they can support Dart’s development — the most important thing for the future of so many people with the franchise right now.
New York has been linked to younger guys like Saints WR Chris Olave and Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle. But with serious doubt about how available Olave and Waddle actually are, Ridley is a more accessible alternative who still has a comparable resume as a 1,000-yard receiver. He was a big-ticket signing by the Titans last year, but both former GM Ran Carthon and former HC Brian Callahan, the two men most responsible for signing off on that contract, are gone now. That makes Ridley a cut candidate, with $13.7 million in potential cap savings despite the $3 million he already has guaranteed in 2026.
If Ridley’s a cut candidate in 2026, that makes him a trade candidate now. The Titans have signaled the season is a lost one by firing Callahan after just six games, and there has to be a focus on the future. Tennessee can’t just give Ridley away, as the Titans also have a young quarterback they have to make sure they develop, but if the Giants put a Day 2 pick on the table, that’s potentially a strong enough offer to prompt a deal.
If the Giants are comfortable...
