The NFL offseason may be over, but it’s certainly not too early for some big-named players to
seek a new home as soon as possible.
For whatever reason, things aren’t working out between an ultra-talented young NFLer and his
current team. At this point, it’s quite obvious that a fresh start is the best option for these 10
household names.
Kyler Murray
After some awkward negotiating, the Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray agreed to a five-year extension worth $230.5 million in the 2022 offseason. The deal curiously featured a mandatory independent study clause, but the Cardinals removed it following plenty of rightful public backlash.
Murray oftentimes seemed agitated and fed up with the Cardinals during a trying 2022 season that hit rock bottom when he suffered a torn ACL late in the season. Instead of trying to build a winner around Murray, the Cardinals went quiet in free agency and even released All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins when they easily could have gotten a nice haul for him.
Clearly, the Cardinals are trying to tank — which means they don’t really want Murray long-term and are hopeful about winning the Caleb Williams sweepstakes.
Hiring a defensive-minded coach in Jonathan Gannon to replace the offensive-minded Kliff Kingsbury also served as a hint that Arizona isn’t sold on building around Murray. They’re obviously eyeing a clean slate and a long-term future without Murray.
The first overall pick of 2019 deserves better than this. See what Matt Stafford did when he finally got out of a dysfunctional Detroit Lions organization? What if Murray went to a team that may soon need a starting QB like Atlanta, Washington or even Minnesota? Las Vegas even?
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We don’t want to see Murray’s prime years go to waste on an Arizona team that, quite frankly, never seems to know what they’re doing. The best bet is for him to demand a trade and restructure his deal for a new team…and for the Cardinals to start from scratch.
Jonathan Taylor
The 2021 rushing champion sought a trade from the Indianapolis Colts following a meeting with Jim Irsay. The Colts’ owner made it clear to Taylor that the club wasn’t going to hand him a contract extension as he heads into the final season of his rookie deal.
You can see both sides here. Taylor is the Colts’ best offensive weapon and wants to be paid what he’s worth. But the Colts know that the running back is a devalued position, and that lucrative RB contracts rarely end well.
Taylor is basically where Christian McCaffrey was with the Carolina Panthers a year ago: The best player on a terrible team with no realistic championship dreams in the near future. Run CMC got traded to the 49ers, played like an All-Pro and got them to the NFC Championship. Win-win for all parties.
It only makes sense for the Colts and Taylor to go down a similar path. He’s obviously not here to stay beyond 2023, and there’s no way they can watch him leave for nothing in free agency.
So for GM Chris Ballard, it should be an easy call to trade Taylor for a draft pick or two — he’d surely get at least a third-rounder! — and find a new and much-cheaper starting RB for 2024.
Patrick Queen
For some reason, it just hasn’t fully come together for Queen in Baltimore. At the time, it felt like a steal for the Ravens when the LSU linebacker fell to them in the No. 28 spot in the 2020 NFL Draft.
But Queen has been an average-to-below-average starter over his first three years in the NFL. As a rookie, Pro Football Focus graded him at a horrendous 29.7. A year later, he graded out at 43.5.
And according to Pro Football Reference, Queen allowed a passer rating north of 100 when targeted in both 2020 and 2021. He’s been a massive liability in coverage and hasn’t exactly made up for it with big-time plays, recording just three interceptions and 10 sacks.
The Ravens traded for — then eventually extended — star linebacker Roquan Smith. They used a third-round pick on Clemson product Trenton Simpson. Those are both strong indicators that they’re ready for life without Queen, who had the fifth-year option on his rookie deal declined.
Queen has a very high skill set and could easily flourish in the right system…New England Patriots or San Francisco 49ers, anybody? But it’s clear that he’s not a fit with John Harbaugh’s Ravens, and Queen simply needs a fresh start sooner rather than later.
Devin White
After a stellar rookie season, the No. 5 selection of the 2019 draft went into “beast mode” as a sophomore. White racked up nine sacks, four pass defenses, one forced fumble and 140 combined tackles.
In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ run to a Super Bowl 55 championship, White had two interceptions, as many pass defenses, two fumble recoveries and 38 combined tackles. It simply felt like the first of what would be several all-star-level seasons for White.
But nope. He had a miserable PFF grade of 36.2 in 2021, and an uninspiring grade of 45.5 in 2022. As well, had just nine total sacks over those two seasons and zero interceptions. And finally, White allowed a 104.9 passer rating when targeted last season.
White actually requested a trade from the Bucs earlier this offseason, but he walked back on it when it became clear that the organization wouldn’t grant his wish.
The Bucs are simply being selfish here. They’re holding onto their championship glory from three seasons ago and keeping fading veterans instead of rebuilding. White obviously doesn’t want to be here long-term, and his declining production should make a trade a no-brainer for GM Jason Licht and company.
So…the Bucs are okay watching White likely walk for nothing in 2024 free agency? Or how about trading him for a mid-round pick and getting SOMETHING that might help them for their inevitable rebuild?
To us, the answer is obvious. But the Buccaneers are making this a lot harder than they need to. Just sayin’.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
CEH had a productive rookie year for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, rushing for 803 yards and contributing exactly 1,100 yards of offense. Had he not missed three games, Edwards-Helaire could have easily exceeded 1K rushing.
Edwards-Helaire was unable to build off that promising year after missing seven games in 2021. Then in 2022, he lost his starting duties to rookie and seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco, who finished with 830 rushing yards.
For KC, it was a no-brainer to decline the fifth-year option on CEH’s rookie deal. Pacheco is younger, cheaper and simply better. And they have a serviceable backup option in veteran Jerick McKinnon, making Edwards-Helaire expendable.
Like Cam Akers in LA, it just feels like Edwards-Helaire won’t get the workload nor the opportunity to reach his full potential in 2023. Of course Edwards-Helaire could become a 1,000-yard rusher, but it’s not happening in a Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
Edwards-Helaire should be keen on a fresh start at some point here in 2023. It would also give him the chance to enhance his market value for next year. He would be a good fit for an RB1-needy team like Miami, Tampa Bay, Arizona or even the Rams.
Rashod Bateman
The Ravens used the No. 27 selection in 2021 on the big 6-foot-2, 210-pound Minnesota wideout. Unfortunately, injuries have limited Bateman to 18 total games through two seasons — including just six altogether in 2022.
The Ravens’ offseason moves suggest they’re not waiting on Bateman anymore. They signed former Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. and the shifty Nelson Agholor before using their first-round pick on another wideout in Jordan Addison.
Baltimore will always be a rush-first offense with Lamar Jackson. Superstar tight end Mark Andrews will always be the No. 1 pass-catcher. And then there’s OBJ, Agholor and Addison.
So Bateman might be what…the No. 4 or 5 receiving option for Lamar? The Ravens didn’t draft the Minnesota kid to be a depth piece. And Bateman surely didn’t sign up for the idea of being near the bottom of a team’s depth chart.
If the Ravens aren’t featuring Bateman early and often in their offense, they should be keen on dealing him to a receiver-needy team. Almost any club should be content to take a chance on a recent former first-round pick who just might reach a Pro Bowl-like level in another offense.
Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy has been a good-not-great receiver up to this point. But remember the high expectations surrounding him back in 2020? He was supposed to be something close to a top-10 receiver in the NFL by now.
Of course, it’s not entirely fair to blame Jeudy. Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater and the 2022 version of Russell Wilson didn’t exactly supply Jeudy with elite QB play.
Despite Wilson’s awful play in 2022, Jeudy turned in a career year with 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns. Still, you can’t help but wonder what more Jeudy could do with an actual top-10 level QB.
His numbers have been on par with a decent WR2. But again, he’s supposed to be a superstar by now. Jeudy’s potential is limitless, but it hasn’t come together in Mile High City. Just imagine if he was traded to a Super Bowl contender with an elite QB. Hey, the Buffalo Bills make perfect sense!
Which other NFL players need a fresh start ASA
