The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 4, which comes after Week 9. After this coming Sunday, we’ll be more than halfway there.
In MLB and the NBA, new players get about two months of the season with their new team. In the NFL, any deadline acquisitions will get half of the regular season to acclimate and make a big impact.
Some teams need quarterbacks, while others appear to be on a downward trajectory and destined to be sellers. Our NFL reporters asked around the league and got valuable intel on what to expect.
Jaguars, 49ers Expected to Be Active; Is Mark Andrews Available?
Eric D. Williams: League sources I spoke with pointed to the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles as possible teams who will be active at November’s trade deadline.
Teams like the Eagles, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks have shown a willingness to be aggressive in previous years at the deadline. Those teams are also in the top half of the league in terms of salary cap space.
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Another team to look for to be aggressive is Jacksonville. General manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen both came from the Rams, a team known to take calculated risks with general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay.
James Gladstone, Liam Coen and Tony Boselli have already shown they will be aggressive by trading up for Travis Hunter in this year’s draft. (Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
In terms of potential players who could be on the move at the trade deadline, another league source pointed to Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker as two players who could command some interest around the league.
At 30 years old, Andrews is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal that will pay him $11 million in total compensation this season. With the Ravens scuffling at 1-3 and Baltimore already having a talented younger tight end on the roster in Isaiah Likely, Andrews could be an appealing trade candidate for a contender in need of a quality tight end.
With the Jets struggling at 0-4 and in full rebuilding mode, the 26-year-old Vera-Tucker is scheduled to make $15.3 million in total compensation in the final year of his rookie contract. However, Vera-Tucker’s future with the team is cloudy after he suffered a season-ending torn triceps injury in September and has had trouble staying on the field during his time in New York.
With New York more focused on the future, the Jets could seek to get draft compensation in the form of 2026 picks now instead of waiting to move on from him at the end of the season and potentially receiving a 2027 compensatory pick once he moves on in free agency.
What Does the QB Market Look Like?
Ralph Vacchiano: A flurry of early-season injuries may have forced several teams to play their backup quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean any of them will be scouring the trade market for veteran quarterback help.
In fact, multiple NFL sources said they’d be surprised if there were any quarterback trades at all, even though several, somewhat attractive veteran starters are currently sitting on their team’s bench. That means players like Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston and Joe Flacco are likely stuck right where they are, possibly for the rest of the year.
“It’s hard to trade for a quarterback midseason,” an assistant general manager told FOX Sports. “Even the best ones need time to learn an offense, develop chemistry with their receivers. … The only team I could see even thinking about it is Cincinnati. (Jake) Browning looks terrible and they’re just trying to stay afloat until Joe (Burrow) returns.”
Jameis Winston has been the No. 3 quarterback for the Giants all season. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The Bengals, at 2-2, are the one team several sources said could be a wild card in any quarterback market, with Burrow not expected to return from a toe injury until December and Browning struggling so far. But all of the other teams who lost their starting quarterbacks, like the Vikings, Jets, 49ers, Ravens and Commanders, are expecting their starters back relatively soon.
So far, though, there’s no indication that the Bengals have even tried to see if any veteran quarterbacks are available. The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly received no interest from anyone in Cousins, and according to an NFL source, the Giants have no interest in shopping either Wilson or Winston around, even though both are now behind rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“I know the Giants don’t want to trade their quarterbacks, but how can they not listen to offers?” asked another NFL executive. “If they’re committed to Dart they don’t need both Russ Wilson and Jameis (Winston). They can talk about their great quarterback room all they want, and I know they need protection in case the kid stumbles, but if they can get a draft pick for one of them, they have to do it.”
Who Will Be Selling at the Deadline?
Ralph Vacchiano: Which NFL teams will be the biggest sellers at the trading deadline? That’s easy: Just look at who sits at the bottom of the standings.
Multiple NFL sources predicted the 0-4 New Orleans Saints, the 0-4 New York Jets and the 1-3 Cleveland Browns will be the teams most willing to ship out players between now and the deadline on Nov. 4. And each team has some interesting pieces that could attract interest to some of the contenders around the league.
“They need a complete reboot in Cleveland, though who knows if the current group (general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski) will be the ones who get to do it? ” an NFL executive told me. “And the Jets are loaded with too many of (ex-general manager) Joe Douglas’ players. (New general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn) are going to want to purge that organization and rebuild it with their guys. They look like a mess right now, so I think they’d be open to trading almost anybody.”
As for the Saints, they are facing “a multi-year rebuilding project,” the executive said, and they could get a strong return if they’re willing to trade running back Alvin Kamara or receiver Chris Olave.
“(Saints coach Kellen Moore) is an offensive guy, so I’m sure he doesn’t want to get rid of them,” the executive said. “But for the good of the franchise, they’ve got to consider it. I doubt either of them will still be there when the Saints are good again. They should just completely start over.”
Alvin Kamara will be a potentially valuable addition at running back ahead of the deadline. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
Added an assistant general manager: “Alvin Kamara is getting a little old (30), but he can still play if he can stay healthy and he’s just wasting away on that team.”
They won’t be the only teams selling, of course. Among the other names several NFL sources said could be players to watch at the trading deadline are cornerback Greg Newsom and tight end David Njoku of the Browns, linebacker Jaelen Phillips of the Dolphins, and receiver Jakobi Meyers of the Raiders.
Multiple sources also said the Jets might have been willing to part with running back Breece Hall, whom they reportedly tried to trade during the offseason. But that might not be possible after the Jets placed their other running back, Braelon Allen, on injured reserve with a sprained knee on Tuesday.
Another Potential Dolphins Departure
Greg Auman: Miami finally has a win on the board, but losing Tyreek Hill for the season makes it that much harder for it to compete at all. It’s more likely the Dolphins will sell off short-term assets before the trade deadline.
One name to watch is edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who’s playing on his fifth-year option right now and will be an unrestricted free agent in March. He has no sacks in four games this year and was limited by injury last year but could be enticing for a team looking for pass-rush depth. Phillips had 22 sacks in his first three years in the league. Taking on half of his base salary is over $6 million, but that’s less than he’ll command on the open market.
NFL.com listed Phillips as the No. 2 overall free agent in the 2026 class, so the team signing him could be in line for a decent compensatory pick if they don’t keep him around past this season. Miami knows this, as well, so it raises the cost of acquiring him – the Dolphins would like to get a 2026 draft pick instead of waiting for his comp pick in 2027.
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