Over the last few years, two colossal offseason trades have helped define the NFL landscape.
In 2020, with the Buffalo Bills looking to elevate Josh Allen, they swung a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs. In the three seasons since, thanks to having Diggs as a friend and elite security blanket, Allen has morphed into one of the faces of pro football.
Then, in 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles scooped up A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans. The Second-Team All-Pro was instrumental in helping Jalen Hurts become a bona fide elite QB in a breakout campaign. (Let’s just say Brown really made Tennessee regret the trade.)
The same sentiment could’ve arguably been applied to the Miami Dolphins’ home run for Tyreek Hill. There’s no way Tua Tagovailoa finishes last season with the league’s highest passer rating (105.5) if he can’t lean on one of the game’s premier speedsters.
All three consequential trades were cases where the Bills, Eagles, and Dolphins recognized that a young signal-caller needs weapons to flourish. Rather than sit on their hands and hope for a mystery-box addition from the draft, they proactively swung deals for proven players that shifted the trajectories of their respective franchises. It’s a valuable lesson we might see come to fruition once again this spring.
As we near the latest round of free agency and player movement, two teams could use dynamic playmakers for their young quarterbacks, in particular. The Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields and New England Patriots’ Mac Jones are the foremost examples.
Here are seven veteran receivers who could be traded in the coming weeks and become the best friend of Fields or Jones. Given their potentially complicated current situations, it’s not out of the realm of possibility some of these names have a new home outside of Chicago or Boston. And while it’s no guarantee any of these guys find themselves donning a different uniform after a trade, there’s little doubt their talent and experience would certainly be quite valuable for QBs trying to blossom.
Sometimes, taking a big swing is worth it for the hopeful future of the franchise.
All salary cap and contract information is courtesy of Over The Cap.