The 2020 NFL trade deadline is today at 4 p.m. ET, and already we've seen several teams get busy trying to add reinforcements or offload salary, with veterans like Yannick Ngakoue and Carlos Dunlap finding new homes days before the cutoff. With dozens of players likely on the block and quite a few teams looking to stay alive during a season in which two additional clubs will earn playoff spots, plenty more moves could be on deck.
We decided -- with that in mind -- to map out 32 different trade possibilities -- one for each team.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you peruse the list and look for your favorite team:
- Several teams have the same trades just because their needs are so similar or the player swaps make sense for both sides. For example, we have the Titans trading for A.J. Green, so under the Bengals section, you'll see the same deal, just explained more from their perspective.
- Some teams are featured in multiple trades because, well, there are only so many other teams to trade with. So don't be alarmed if your favorite team is shown trading for two offensive playmakers when, in reality, it only needs one. It might be helpful to read each deal on its own rather than as part of the collective.
Now buckle up and enjoy!
Arizona Cardinals
Acquire: Browns TE David Njoku
Trade: 2021 fifth-round draft pick
Njoku would prefer to be a No. 1 tight end somewhere. The Cardinals have pretty much everything but a big presence at the position on offense. In a tough division, they can afford to spend just a little in order to beef up their pass-catching options over the middle.
Atlanta Falcons
Acquire: 2022 fourth-round draft pick (Bears)
Trade: G James Carpenter
Atlanta may not want to sell off superstars like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, but it already drafted Carpenter's future replacement in Matt Hennessy. The Falcons can save more than $12 million starting in 2021 by unloading the guard to a team in dire need of O-line help.
Buffalo Bills
Acquire: Saints DT Sheldon Rankins
Trade: 2021 fifth-round draft pick
Sean McDermott has a lot of work to do if he wants the defense, his specialty, to help carry Buffalo to an AFC East title. Rankins would be a start as a big body along an interior that's been gashed repeatedly. New Orleans doesn't seem overly committed to him anyway.
Baltimore Ravens
Acquire: Lions WR Marvin Jones
Trade: 2021 sixth-round draft pick, 2022 seventh-round pick
Baltimore is only making a serious run if Lamar Jackson steps up as a passer, but giving him more proven production out wide wouldn't hurt. Jones is older and more like WR3 material, but for a low cost, why not take the gamble? He could start immediately.
Carolina Panthers
Acquire: Washington CB Fabian Moreau
Trade: 2021 sixth-round draft pick
The Panthers are not ready to be trading top assets for instant help, but they're also too competitive to ignore current holes. Moreau makes sense as a low-risk addition to a young defense -- an impending free agent with some long-term upside.
Cincinnati Bengals
Acquire: 2021 fourth-round draft pick, 2022 seventh-round draft pick (Titans)
Trade: WR A.J. Green
If Cincy can swallow pride and deal Carlos Dunlap, it sure as heck can do the same for Green. They clearly have other WRs ready to carry the load beyond 2020 (see: Higgins, Tee). Green's also bound to head elsewhere in free agency anyway.
Cleveland Browns
Acquire: Vikings S Anthony Harris
Trade: 2021 fourth-round draft pick
This might be the most logical of them all. Harris was never guaranteed a long-term place in Minnesota, the Browns need secondary help like anyone, and Kevin Stefanski is already familiar with the Vikings vet. His experience would be invaluable in the AFC North.
Chicago Bears
Acquire: Falcons G James Carpenter
Trade: 2022 fourth-round draft pick
Unless Matt Nagy prefers Nick Foles turning the offense back to Mitchell Trubisky from a stretcher, the Bears need to bolster their front. Carpenter can be cut without much penalty after 2020. In the meantime, he'd give them an adequate starter on the interior.
Dallas Cowboys
Acquire: Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Trade: 2022 fifth-round draft pick
Is 2020 a lost season for Dallas? Perhaps. But they owe it to themselves to try in the abysmal NFC East, and Fitzpatrick is exactly the kind of unhinged veteran who can make something out of nothing behind a porous O-line. His flair would instantly give Dallas juice.
Denver Broncos
Acquire: 2021 second-round draft pick, 2022 seventh-round pick (Cardinals)
Trade: S Justin Simmons
Simmons is one of the most promising pieces Denver has, but without a long-term deal, he's a pricey impending free agent on a bad team. Why not sell high while you can, to a contender like Arizona, and prioritize restarting or rebuilding around the QB in 2021?
Detroit Lions
Acquire: 2021 sixth-round draft pick, 2022 seventh-round pick (Ravens)
Trade: WR Marvin Jones
The Lions made their win-now move by trading for Everson Griffen. Now they should recoup at least a little bit of that value by unloading an aging receiver in Jones who's long seen his role diminish.
Green Bay Packers
Acquire: Texans WR Will Fuller
Trade: 2021 third-round draft pick, 2022 conditional fifth-round pick
Davante Adams is great, and Allen Lazard will be back eventually, but if the Packers seriously want to compete and/or thank Aaron Rodgers for his resurgence, they need another threat. Fuller has injury issues but is both younger and a proven playmaker.
Houston Texans
Acquire: 2021 fourth-round draft pick (Washington)
Trade: LB Zach Cunningham
Why on Earth would the Texans give up the guy they just extended on a $58 million deal? Because they need all the picks they can get and are in Operation Undo Bill O'Brien's Moves, that's why. This one clears a ton of money at a position rarely worth huge bucks.
Indianapolis Colts
Acquire: Washington DE Ryan Anderson
Trade: 2021 sixth-round draft pick
Chris Ballard probably doesn't want to be giving up anything of significance knowing full well he's going to be tasked with replacing Philip Rivers sooner rather than later, but for now? Anderson is a fine gamble as a rotational pass rusher for the playoff hunt.
Kansas City Chiefs
Acquire: Lions LB Jarrad Davis
Trade: 2022 sixth-round draft pick
K.C. probably exhausted its supply of "big moves" by adding Le'Veon Bell -- even on a small contract -- and puffing up an already-loaded offense. On "D," they could still use depth in the middle, and Davis has pretty much worn out his welcome in Detroit.
Las Vegas Raiders
Acquire: Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore
Trade: 2021 first-round draft pick, 2022 fourth-round pick
Hello, blockbuster. If Atlanta smartly auctioned Julio Jones, the Raiders would make a lot of sense as they try to seize on Derek Carr's solid play and challenge in the AFC West. Instead, how about a shutdown corner, with the Pats looking to unload his hefty salary?
Los Angeles Chargers
Acquire: 2022 fourth-round draft pick (Bills)
Trade: CB Desmond King
King is still young, and Anthony Lynn would probably rather not part with any pieces of a secondary that can be top-tier when healthy. But the Chargers are in Justin Herbert mode now. It's time to build for the long haul. Buffalo, meanwhile, needs a slot corner badly.
Los Angeles Rams
Acquire: Falcons OLB Takkarist McKinley
Trade: 2021 sixth-round draft pick, 2022 fifth-round pick
Remember when L.A. took a gamble on a former first-round pass-rushing bust in Dante Fowler, who now plays for the Falcons? Adding Fowler's teammate, another underwhelming first-round talent, would be a similarly smart bid for the NFC West contenders.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Acquire: 2021 fifth-round draft pick (Bills)
Trade: CB D.J. Hayden
It should be selloff time in Jacksonville. Hayden is coming off an injury and has been talked up by Jags staff before, but it's beyond time for them to move on while they can. If Buffalo can't nab Desmond King or another CB, he'd be adequate consolation.
Minnesota Vikings
Acquire: 2021 fourth-round draft pick, 2022 conditional fourth-round pick (Cowboys)
Trade: OT Riley Reiff
The Vikings would basically be acknowledging defeat this year by dealing their left tackle, but it's probably the right thing to do. Dallas shouldn't be going "all in," meanwhile, but could at least sell Reiff to themselves as future Tyron Smith and La'El Collins insurance.
Miami Dolphins
Acquire: Eagles DT Malik Jackson
Trade: 2022 fifth-round draft pick
The Eagles would like to dump as much salary as possible without sacrificing their 2020 chances. Jackson has been good, but with Javon Hargrave in tow with a big contract of his own, the former is expendable. To Miami, he'd represent a rock-solid 3-4 DE.
New England Patriots
Acquire: 2021 first-round draft pick, 2022 fourth-round pick (Raiders)
Trade: CB Stephon Gilmore
The Pats could certainly justify swapping a late-rounder for someone like Kyle Rudolph, but the truth is, they might be best served selling Gilmore before it's too late. Maybe they'll rebound later this year, but this seems like a move Bill Belichick would make.
New Orleans Saints
Acquire: Washington DE Ryan Kerrigan
Trade: 2021 conditional fourth-round draft pick
Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport give New Orleans a formidable pass rushing duo, but there's a reason the Saints tried to add Jadeveon Clowney: They know they'll need even more to contend for a title. Kerrigan could slide right in as a rotational DE.
New York Giants
Acquire: 2021 fifth-round draft pick (Colts)
Trade: WR Golden Tate
There's no reason Tate should be on the field for them to finish the year. He's fine, at this point in his career, but for his salary, what's the point, especially with a semi-rebuild inevitable? Shipping him to an inconsistent offense like Indy would be wise.
New York Jets
Acquire: WR Alshon Jeffery, 2021 fifth-round draft pick
Trade: 2021 sixth-round draft pick
Let's be real: Jeffery would not save the 2020 Jets offense, nor would he likely be kept around beyond this year. But GM Joe Douglas knows him well from Philly and Chicago, and absorbing his unfavorable contract would be worth a move up in the 2021 draft.
Philadelphia Eagles
Acquire: Packers LB Oren Burks
Trade: WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
Linebacker is reportedly the Eagles' priority at the deadline, but Howie Roseman, who's pulled off plenty of player-for-player swaps in the past, can't really afford to surrender draft capital or cap room. Burks is a young, rangy player without a secure home in Green Bay.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Acquire: Jets LB Avery Williamson
Trade: 2022 sixth-round draft pick
No one's going to replace Devin Bush at the heart of Pittsburgh's defense, but Williamson would at least give them a serviceable starter. New York has little reason to hold onto him at the expense of a draft pick.
San Francisco 49ers
Acquire: Bengals CB William Jackson III
Trade: 2021 fourth-round draft pick
Even when the Niners get healthy, they will need better long-term options on the outside. Somebody like Jackson, who's still young enough to grow into a top gig with a new team, would help make up for San Francisco's losses closer to the line of scrimmage.
Seattle Seahawks
Acquire: 2022 fifth-round draft pick (Bills)
Trade: TE Jacob Hollister
The Carlos Dunlap deal satisfies Seattle's need for immediate pass rushing help. Now how about getting some draft capital back by moving on from a tight end they barely use? Buffalo could spare a late-round flyer for more Josh Allen options at the position.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Acquire: 2021 conditional seventh-round draft pick (Bears)
Trade: RB LeSean McCoy
With Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones locked into the top two RB spots, Tampa Bay might as well try to get something for McCoy while it can. The Bears, meanwhile, could use more shiftiness with Tarik Cohen out and David Montgomery in slow motion.
Tennessee Titans
Acquire: Bengals WR A.J. Green
Trade: 2021 fourth-round draft pick, 2022 seventh-round draft pick
Ryan Tannehill does just fine with A.J. Brown, Corey Davis and Adam Humphries. But imagine giving him Green's size on the outside and in the red zone. If Tennessee wants to make another run, this kind of move would boost their chances in the short term.
Washington Football Team
Acquire: Broncos WR DaeSean Hamilton
Trade: 2021 seventh-round draft pick
Ron Rivera's squad shouldn't be buying big names even with the NFC East up for grabs, but a low-risk gamble like this would at least potentially give Kyle Allen another young option down the field.
