The Raiders fired their GM and head coach at the NFL trade deadline. It’s hard to hold trade talks when there’s nobody answering the phone:
It’s hard for Mickey Loomis to trade talks when there’s nobody answering the phone, and that may have been the case for the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. The Raiders announced late Tuesday night that team owner Mark Davis fired everyone at the top of the organization, including head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints were working on a trade for Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow which fell apart in the hours leading up to the deadline, citing disagreements in which side would have paid more of Renfrow’s salary for the rest of the season. It shouldn’t have been difficult to work that out.
Renfrow is due $3.7 million in weekly game checks the rest of the season, but the Saints could have lowered that number by lowering him to the veteran minimum salary and getting the Raiders to cover the difference; he’s qualified for a $1.08 million base salary, which comes up to about $600,000 for the last ten weeks of the regular season. So the Saints would have paid that and the Raiders would have been on the hook for $2.1 million. Were they really so busy haggling over that number (which is less than 1% of the $224.8 million salary cap) they ran this down to the deadline?
Maybe the sudden layoffs at the top of the Raiders’ organizational chart played a factor. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson cited a source with a team that was in negotiations with Las Vegas who said the lines of communication fell apart on trade deadline day: “Explains why they ghosted us … Nobody responded yesterday.”
What could the future hold? Renfrow is due a hefty salary in 2024 that will probably make him a cap casualty, and the Saints are clearly interested in him at a near-minimum salary. If he’s willing to sign for that much in the spring and work to reestablish himself as a reliable receiving threat in the NFL, working again with his old quarterback Derek Carr, maybe they’ll circle back to him once he becomes available. But that won’t happen until the season is over and the Raiders have rebuilt their organization yet again.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints and Raiders ‘got very close’ on a trade for WR Hunter Renfrow at the NFL trade deadline:
Well that’s a good nugget. The New Orleans Saints didn’t make a move at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, but not for lack of trying. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints were working on a deal that would have brought in Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, only for trade talks to fall apart when it got to the finances.
“The only one I thought might happen was Hunter Renfrow going to the Saints. There was just so much contractual stuff that they had to work out. Who was going to pay his salary, didn’t get it done by yesterday. In the end, did not end up happening.”
Renfrow is owed $3.7 million in weekly salary payments for the rest of the 2023 regular season, which the Saints could have barely fit on their books with an estimated $4.6 million in salary cap space per Over The Cap (Spotrac has them with $3.8 million in spending room).
“Explains why they ghosted us,” one source with anonymous team told CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson. “Nobody responded yesterday.”
So Renfrow will remain in Las Vegas and the Saints will stick with their three-man rotation of Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed, with Lynn Bowden, A.T. Perry, and Keith Kirkwood coming off the bench. At least for now. Renfrow has a $13.7 million salary cap hit next season and he was demoted to a decoy role in McDaniels’ offense. Unless the Raiders suddenly reverse course, he’ll likely be a cap casualty in the spring.
And it feels like a safe bet that the Saints will be interested. Renfrow was Derek Carr’s favorite target for several years on the Raiders and the Saints have been linked to him since March, before they even signed Carr. If Renfrow is ultimately released and becomes a free agent, the Saints could sign him without jeopardizing a future compensatory NFL draft pick. But we’re putting the cart before the horse here. At this point Carr has the same weapons at his disposal he used to play his best game this past Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. We’ll circle back to this Renfrow scuttlebutt in the spring.
Much speculation ends in no trades for Raiders at deadline
The deadline has passed for NFL teams to make trades. There were some interesting moves made, with 22 different franchises making a deal, but the Raiders were not among those teams either buying or selling. They stood pat.
At 3-5, with a struggling offense, there was some speculation that the Raiders might move someone for draft capital, but nothing materialized.
The primary names that were mentioned among Raiders players were wide receivers Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow, and running back Josh Jacobs.
Adams and Jacobs’s names were mentioned because they are the stars on this offense and thus would figure to hold the most value in trade.
Renfrow was the most discussed because he has seen his role in the offense disappear two years after catching 106 passes and heading to the Pro Bowl.
All three players would probably welcome a trade in the hopes that they would see their numbers return to a range they were used to prior to this season. And also hopefully on a team with a shot at the playoffs.
Technically the Raiders are just two games under .500, but the offense has been so terrible, there is little hope they will somehow turn things around.
They have yet to score even 20 points this season, and are currently 30th in points scored and 31st in yards.
Here are five realistic trade options for the Patriots.
We could be hours, minutes or even seconds away from finding out if the New England Patriots will be buyers or sellers by the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline on Tuesday.
There’s obviously a greater chance of the team selling considering there is no likely path for them to the playoffs this season. They’ve been ravaged with injuries in arguably the toughest division in football.
The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets could all be vying for a spot in the playoffs, while the Patriots look on with a pitiful 2-6 record. But don’t sleep on the possibility of them becoming buyers, either.
Coach Bill Belichick isn’t the type to tank an entire season away, and he’ll be looking to rack up as many wins as possible before the curtain closes on 2023.
Here are five realistic trade options for the Patriots by the deadline:
The trade deadline is next Tuesday, Halloween, at 4 p.m. EST. It is a time when a few players get to recharge their careers elsewhere and leave opportunities behind for someone else. Most of the moves are not fantasy-relevant but a few can be. Mecole Hardman is back at the Chiefs, though his prospects aren’t any better than the first time he was there.
Chase Claypool was sent to the Dolphins, and… No. I don’t know why, either. He was essentially free with the cost of swapping a sixth-round pick for a seventh. Cam Akers lands on the Vikings, where he’s probably going just to limit Alexander Mattison. Van Jefferson was sent to Atlanta, which is marginally better than being buried on the Rams depth chart.
What to watch on Sunday is for any different usage of a player – particularly under-using them to keep them healthy for a trade. It is time for bad teams to get some value for players who likely won’t be there next year.
Here are the Top-6 trade candidates I’d like to see moved.
Derrick Henry – This appears to be a lock according to most pundits and every anonymous poster on X-Twitter. He won’t be back in Tennessee next year, and they could get something for him. The Titans are 2-4 and looking worse. 2024 will be a rebuilding year anyway. Henry turns 30 next year, and while he’s only been injured once of note, there are a lot of miles on those tires. He’s a perfect fit for a playoff-bound offense lacking talent in the backfield. The Ravens are expected to be interested, but the Bills and Buccaneers could use a boost when they run.
Saquon Barkley – He says he won’t move, and the Giants said they won’t move him. He is never going to play in a Superbowl for the Giants, and he turns 27 next year. Barkley has one more good contract left (probably), but he isn’t driving up his value by staying. He signed a one-year $10M to stay this year, but the Giants will not commit to him long-term anyway. I’d guess he’ll stay, but he would be a difference-maker. Imagine the Bills with the dual-threat Barkley. Or the Cowboys or Eagles.
Darnell Mooney – He is in the final year of his rookie contract, and what little passing the Bears ends up with DJ Moore or Cole Kmet. At 5-11 and 173 pounds, he was miscast as a primary wideout in the past but makes a speedy complement (4.38 40-time). He turned in an 81-1055-4 stat line in 2021. The Chargers are a possibility since losing Mike Williams. The Chiefs would have been before taking Mecole Hardman back, and maybe are still a possibility since Mooney played with the Chiefs’ OC Matt Nagy. His fantasy value would skyrocket, swapping Justin Fields for Patrick Mahomes.
Marquise Brown – It would seem a surprise to get rid of the Cardinals’ No. 1 wideout right when Kyler Murray is getting nearer to return. But the 1-6 Cardinals are already done, and the rebuild should be in full force next season. The Cardinals may not move him though, and his departure strips the receivers of talent for the rest of the year. But if the right deal were offered, Arizona would have to consider it. And there’s speculation that the Cards might end up with a new franchise quarterback from the 2024 NFL draft because they are headed to a very early pick – if not the No. 1 pick.
Hunter Renfrow – The Raider slot receiver posted 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine scores in 2021 when the Raiders ran out of receivers. For the two seasons with HC Josh McDaniels, Renfrow sees minimal use. But he’s only 27, and there is an out in his contract next year anyway. His relationship with McDaniels is described as “fractured.” One potential landing spot is with the Saints, where he could reunite with Derek Carr. He could also end up with the Bears as a replacement for Darnell Mooney if he was traded. Renfrow is too good and too young to waste away on a roster.
Jerry Jeudy – He’s been rumored to be traded since the start of last summer, and the 2-5 Broncos will not be busy in January. The former first-round pick could net the Broncos a middle-round pick for a team that needs to refresh their roster. He’s rumored to be another possible add by the Chiefs, but several NFL teams could be willing to upgrade their receivers because Jeudy needs a change of scenery and system. The Broncos will accept less for him than last summer.
About last night…
Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Buccaneers 18, Bills 24
The Buccaneers played tougher than expected, but the Bills also failed at the goal line in the first half and left with no points. Baker Mayfield ended with 237 yards and two scores between Chris Godwin (5-54, TD) and Mike Evans (3-39, TD), who caught his touchdown with only 2:44 left to play to salvage what had been an invisible game. Rachaad White didn’t score, but he ran for 39 yards on nine carries and led the receivers with seven catches for 70 yards in his best showing of the season. The Bucs still ended up with a Hail Mary pass into the end zone that somehow landed there without anyone touching it. Chris Godwin was the closest.
If the Buccaneers were to end up with Derrick Henry or another running back before the trade deadline, White would at least retain the third-down role. The 3-4 Buccaneers head to Houston for Week 9.
It was a standard night for Josh Allen. He ran for 41 yards and a touchdown on his seven rushes. He passed for 324 yards and two scores between Greg Davis (9-87, TD) and Dalton Kincaid (5-65, TD). Khalil Shakir almost doubled his 2023 stats when he led the team with 92 yards on six catches. Stefon Diggs started slowly but ended up with nine catches for 70 yards. The Bills never trailed, but the Bucs tied the score 10-10 in the second quarter before the Bills pulled away. They rise to 5-3 and head to Cincinnati for next week’s Sunday night game.
Not too long ago, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer was reportedly “on the phone every single day” in search of a wideout. Well, that phone may not be as busy now.
ESPN senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler just dished out quite a few new nuggets about the feel of this year’s trade deadline. Among the chirping is the seemingly active market for the receiver position, which Fitterer and the Panthers may have dipped out on.
Fowler writes:
Wide receiver is a buzz-worthy position entering the deadline. People I’ve talked to believe the Colts, Packers, Panthers and Chiefs have at least monitored the receiver market in recent weeks, though Carolina, sitting at 0-6, might be out, and the Chiefs got their man in Hardman.
Some wideouts who may be available include Las Vegas’ Hunter Renfrow and Denver’s Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. The Panthers were recently linked to Jeudy, as Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado reported that they were “sniffing around” on the former first-rounder.
But with little hope for a playoff push and little draft capital to play around with, Carolina probably won’t be buyers over the next week and a half.
If the Steelers are buying at the trade deadline, here are several interesting options.
With less than two weeks to the NFL trade deadline, rumors are starting to heat up about which players could be available as teams look to dump salary while others hope to add pieces for a playoff push.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are somewhere in between. Sitting at 3-2, the team is definitely in the mix to make the playoffs. In 2019, when all seemed lost after Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending injury, Pittsburgh worked a huge trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick that worked out great.
Despite the struggles this team has had through five games, I firmly believe head coach Mike Tomlin and the front office feel like this is a competitive squad capable of winning the AFC North. This is why we believe the team will be buyers when the time comes. Especially if the team can find a way to beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and improve to 4-2.
If the Steelers should go out and look to add a player or two, here are six potential options with Denver Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain II being the Fitzpatrick of this group.
Could the #Chiefs target any of these 11 receivers at the trade deadline?
The Kansas City Chiefs have a clear need to add another wide receiver to their roster, even after trading for two-time Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman earlier this week.
Hardman is likely to be utilized as a gadget player, taking jet sweeps and quick screens in Andy Reid’s innovative offense. His value in the passing game will lie in his ability to be a field-stretcher that keeps opposing defenses honest and opens up room for guys like Travis Kelce and Skyy Moore over the middle.
While Kansas City may be content with their move for Hardman, the possibilities for additions at wide receiver may prove to be too enticing for Brett Veach to pass up on as he looks to shepherd the Chiefs to another Super Bowl victory.
Here are a few options that Veach could explore bringing in for Patrick Mahomes before The NFL trade deadline passes on October 31:
Raiders expected to trade WR Hunter Renfrow before deadline?
It wasn’t that long ago that Hunter Renfrow was one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. During the 2021 season, Renfrow caught 100 passes for over 1,000 yards as he helped lead the Raiders to the playoffs.
But through six games in 2023, Renfrow has just six catches for 59 yards. Against the Patriots, Renfrow didn’t even see a single target in the passing game. His lone contribution in the game was recovering the free kick by the Patriots to seal the game. At this point, it feels like a divorce is imminent.
In a recent article by Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about 15 players that could be traded before the deadline later this month. That list included Renfrow, who just doesn’t have a big role at all right now in Las Vegas. Here is a snippet of what Spielberger had to say about Renfrow and the potential of a midseason trade:
The Las Vegas Raiders have had phone calls centered on wide receiver Hunter Renfrow this season, and it’d be somewhat of a surprise if he isn’t moved before the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Renfrow has two years remaining on the extension he signed in 2022 but no guarantees beyond this season. An acquiring team would take on a $3.61 million salary for the remainder of 2023 if they add Renfrow right before the deadline, which is a reasonable number.
If the Raiders do trade Renfrow, it won’t be for a lot. It’ll likely be a late-round pick swap that ends up being pretty meaningless. The Raiders just don’t have a role for Renfrow in the offense, especially since Tre Tucker is starting to play more snaps. It feels like Renfrow might only be on the roster for another game or two before he eventually gets moved.
With several NFL teams looking to sell before the trade deadline, these are the best landing spots for a select handful of potential trade targets.
It’s the middle of October, which means it is spooky season- for some teams more than others. With poor records and offensive production scarier than any Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees flick, multiple teams will be looking to sell at the October 31 trade deadline while potential contenders look to buy and make an even stronger run at a championship.
The following players are likely to get dealt, and I have the perfect spot for each of them.
