We’ve already seen several notable players get traded during the young 2023 NFL season: Chase Claypool, Cam Akers, Randy Gregory, Mecole Hardman, Van Jefferson and J.C. Jackson!
And to think that the Oct. 31 trade deadline hasn’t arrived yet! With so many big names on the block, it feels like this could be one of the most thrilling trade deadlines in NFL history.
With that said, let’s dive into 10 blockbuster trade deadline deals that NEED to happen by Halloween Day.
King Henry Heads To The Queen City
Derrick Henry has been one of the few positives on a rather dismal Tennessee Titans team in 2023. With the Titans resembling nothing close to a playoff contender, trading their franchise star is the only logical move here.
Henry is a pending free agent and will be 30 years of age in January. The Titans certainly won’t look to extend him long-term, so GM Ran Carthon should be working the phones and driving up a bidding war for Henry’s services.
Among the top Super Bowl contenders, no team makes more sense for King Henry than the Cincinnati Bengals. Their offense has struggled with consistency to begin the series, and having the league’s worst rushing attack through six weeks hasn’t helped matters for Joe Burrow.
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Henry should be keen on chasing a Super Bowl with a top heavyweight like the Bengals. Imagine an offense with Henry, Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins AND Tyler Boyd? With Joe Mixon as your No. 2 back? Woah mama!
A pending free agent at a devaluing position won’t fetch much. The Bengals should be able to get Henry for two mid-to-late draft picks. How about a 2024 fourth-rounder that becomes a third if the Bengals reach the Super Bowl plus a 2025 fifth-round pick?
A win-win for everybody. And the powerhouse Bengals will have just closed the gap that much more with the other top AFC clubs.
Kirk Cousins Joins The Falcons’ Flock
The Atlanta Falcons are hanging around in the NFC South playoff race because of a stingy defense and offensive weapons Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Just imagine if they had slightly-above-average quarterback play now?
Desmond Ridder ain’t it. Arthur Smith’s obsession with starting Ridder indicates to us that Atlanta’s head coach isn’t sold on Taylor Heinicke, either. So if the Falcons want a quarterback upgrade, we suppose their only option is to explore the trade market.
If you’re Atlanta, how about targeting Minnesota Vikings’ QB Kirk Cousins? The 35-year-old is also in his contract year, and it’s clear Minny isn’t keen on keeping him past 2023.
With the Vikings out of the playoff race, trading Cousins should be an easy call. Imagine him in an offense with a top-five o-line, Robinson, London, Kyle Pitts and Tyler Allgeier? Cousins would go OFF in Smith’s offense here and make Atlanta the overwhelming favorites in the NFC South.
A conditional 2023 third-round pick and 2025 fourth-round picks should get it done. The conditional third, however, becomes a second-rounder if Cousins ends up re-signing with the Vikings.
Win-win for everybody. Minnesota can now tank for a top QB prospect in next year’s draft, and they get extra draft capital. Atlanta shoots its shot with Cousins. If he performs well, great – they can extend him. If he doesn’t? At least they went down TRYING to win.
Saquon Joins Steel City
Barkley rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards last year and led the Giants to the postseason plus a wild card round victory over Minnesota. And yet, the Giants still didn’t want to hand him a long-term extension.
So who’s to think the Giants will extend Barkley after a trainwreck of a 2023 season? One that saw him miss several weeks with an ankle injury?
Of course the Giants aren’t returning to the postseason. Of course Barkley isn’t staying, and of course the Giants have to trade him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has kept them in playoff contention this year, but the woeful ground game has prevented this offense from reaching its full potential. The offense needs a spark, and who better to provide it than Barkley himself?
Imagine if Kenny Pickett had Barkley, George Pickens AND Diontae Johnson as his main weapons? Barkley’s explosive play-making abilities would give the Steelers a formidable offense for once, and he would make them a much tougher out inJanuary.
Speaking of running backs, Najee Harris could use a fresh start. The one-time Pro Bowler hasn’t gotten it going here in 2023, and the Steelers can’t afford to wait on him.
Barkley to Pittsburgh in exchange for Harris and a 2024 fourth-round pick makes sense for both sides. Barkley gets to chase a ring, while Harris — a two-time 1,000-yard rusher — gets the chance to rebuild his value as the focal point of the New York offense.
JuJu Smith-Schuster Gets Fresh Start In Titletown
After winning a Super Bowl 57 ring with the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots worth $33 million.
You know how JuJu had 933 yards in KC a year ago? Yeah, he had 86 total yards through his first five games with the Pats. Serenity now. Time to move on — ASAP.
The Green Bay Packers aren’t getting much out of anyone on offense except rising star Christian Watson. Aaron Jones hasn’t been healthy, and AJ Dillon hasn’t exactly embraced the increased workload with Jones out.
Jordan Love just isn’t going to get a fair evaluation if the Packers don’t upgrade his supporting cast. Why not take a chance on Smith-Schuster and see if he can bounce back in Matt LaFleur’s offense?
Betcha Bill Belichick will be thrilled to get out of Smith-Schuster’s contract by any means necessary. So how about JuJu to the Pack in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick?
Green Bay has ample amounts of cap space to take on Smith-Schuster’s contract. When healthy, JuJu is a reliable security blanket on third downs who would draw favorable matchups with opposing defenses mostly focused on Watson.
Yes, it’s been ugly for Smith-Schuster in New England. But this is a guy with four seasons of 800-plus yards on his resume. Surely, he’s capable of being a steady WR2 in the right system, and the Packers are capable of getting him going again.
Courtland Sutton Teams Up With CJ Stroud
Another disastrous year in Mile High City means a looming firesale for Denver Broncos’ general manager George Paton.
Wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are the Broncos’ primary trade chips leading up to the deadline. And if Paton is smart, he’ll keep in mind that trading his top two wideouts will put his team in primary position to tank for Caleb Williams
Looking at potential suitors for Sutton, the surprising Houston Texans make perfect sense. DeMeco Ryans’ club has exceeded expectations early, and it’s largely thanks to the world-class play of rookie QB CJ Stroud.
Houston already has two stud wideouts in Nico Collins and rookie Tank Dell, but why not add a third to bolster their offense and playoff hopes? Stroud, Collins, Dell, Sutton and Dameon Pierce together would set the Texans up very well for the long run.
Seldom-used sophomore wideout John Metchie III could be of interest to Denver. Pushed down Houston’s depth chart, the 2022 second-round pick and Alabama product could flourish in a Sean Payton-coached offense — especially if he were the undisputed WR1 there.
Sutton to Houston for Metchie III and a 2025 third-round pick seems like a fair deal for both sides. Make it happen, Texans and Broncos.
Danielle Hunter Goes Ring Hunting In South Beach
Like Kirk Cousins, the Vikings’ brass showed no interest in extending Hunter this past offseason. In other words, they’re set in moving on from him.
Hunter is on pace for his best season yet, and he’d fetch a nice return at the trade deadline. Minny’s other option is to keep Hunter — even though they’re out of playoff contention — and let him walk in 2024 free agency. Yeah, door No. 1 seems like the better play.
Now, the Miami Dolphins’ prolific offense has them in contention for the AFC’s top seed — but that defense is quietly having a pretty awful year. Jalen Ramsey is returning at some point, sure, but how about additional pass-rushing help to deal with the gauntlet of superstar QBs in the AFC?
Hunter would be a beautiful fit in Miami’s front seven alongside Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah. Remember, Miami doesn’t have their 2024 third-round pick which was docked for tampering violations.
So how about this: Hunter to Miami in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick that BECOMES a second if Miami ends up extending Hunter.
More draft capital for Minnesota and a game-wrecker of a pass-rusher to help Miami’s struggling defense. Everybody comes out happy.
Ryan Tannehill Gets Opportunity To Save The Jets
Tannehill’s play in 2023 has been awful. Malik Willis hasn’t been much better, and it’s simply surprising that Mike Vrabel hasn’t given Will Levis a look yet.
Henry shouldn’t be the only Titan on the trade block this year. Tannehill, who’s also in the final year of his contract, has to be traded as well.
The New York Jets are hanging around in the playoff race without Aaron Rodgers…but it’s not because of Zach Wilson. It’s thanks to running back Breece Hall and a stingy defense that has caused headaches for Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts.
Tannehill is cooked in Tennessee, but he would definitely be an upgrade over the struggling Wilson. Tannehill would just have to play like a game manager with Hall, Garrett Wilson and that defense. He’s at least more careful with the football than the mistake-prone Wilson.
Even if Rodgers returns at some point this year, Tannehill would be a better short-term band-aid option than Wilson. With the Jets reportedly shopping defensive lineman Carl Lawson, how about a Tannehill-for-Lawson swap and the Jets’ 2025 fifth-round pick?
Tannehill provides a short-term upgrade at QB. Tennessee clears money, gets a pick and a quality starter in Lawson. Who says no?
Ravens Add A YOUNG Star To Their Defense
While the Lamar Jackson-led offense remains a work in progress, the Ravens’ D is looking like its top-five self again under second-year DC Mike Macdonald.
That said, you can never have too many stud pass-rushers in today’s NFL that’s dominated by high-powered passing games. And with the Ravens residing in the same conference as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow, why shouldn’t they make a run at another game-changing edge rusher?
More specifically, Washington Commanders’ star Chase Young.
The Commanders surprisingly declined the fifth-year option on Young’s rookie deal, making him eligible to enter free agency in 2024. Considering that they don’t at all look like a Super Bowl contender, Washington is best off trading Young rather than watch him leave for nothing.
Throw in seldom-used 2021 first-round pick and receiver Rashod Bateman, and the Beltway rivals just make perfect sense as trade partners. How about Bateman and a 2024 third-round pick to the Commanders in exchange for Young?
Baltimore’s D gets a lot scarier, while the Commanders get two young assets to help with their retooling phase.
Dallas Adds Jerry Jeudy To Cowboys’ Herd
Remember what we said about the Broncos on the Sutton-Texans entry? Yeah, same deal here with Jeudy. Denver has to trade both of its star wideouts – pronto — and set up the tank for Caleb Williams.
Plus, yanno, Jeudy could use a fresh start. He’s put up fine numbers in Mile High City, but it feels like the Alabama product hasn’t hit his full potential yet. Put him in an actual half-decent offense with a top-10 quarterback, and maybe he goes from “good” to All-Pro level.
No team makes better sense for Jeudy than the Dallas Cowboys. Once again, the Dak Prescott-led unit is relying too much on CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard to do the heavy lifting.
Brandin Cooks hasn’t come as advertised, and Michael Gallup will never be the WR2 many envisioned. This is Jerry Jones’ opportunity to make a league-changing move by going all-in for the 2020 first-round pick.
Jeudy to Dallas in exchange for 2024 second and 2025 fourth-round picks is a fair return. Denver’s tank hits “go” mode, and Dallas gets their much-needed WR2 to complement Lamb.
Jeudy, Lamb, Pollard and Dak with Cooks and Gallup as depth pieces? Sign us up.
At Long Last, Rams Land Brian Burns
After last year’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Carolina Panthers rejected the Los Angeles Rams’ lucrative offer for star pass-rusher Brian Burns. The Rams offered two firsts and a second-rounder, which Carolina curiously declined.
Hey, it’s not too late to make this happen once and for all. Sean McVay’s Rams are right there in the playoff race despite a grueling five-game schedule to open the year. Clearly, the likes of Matt Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald have lots of football left in them.
WHICH means it’s the perfect time for Les Snead to go back to his good ol’ habits of giving up first-round picks to win now. Imagine if Burns, coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks, joined forces with this generation’s best defensive player in Aaron Donald?
The Panthers blew it last year and can’t expect the same offer from the Rams this time around.
However, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-rounder should be enough to get it done.
That’s more than fair value for Burns, who looks destined to leave as a free agent in 2024 if the Panthers don’t trade him. So Carolina recoups some of the lost picks in the trade to get Bryce Young, and the Rams land another game-wrecker to bolster their push for another championship.
It’s a trade that, shall we say, HAS to happen.
What other 2023 NFL Trade deadline deals do you want to happen?
