3 Potential NFL trades to dump contracts in 2020 offseason

2. Cardinals send David Johnson to Tampa

David Johnson was supposed to be an all-star in Kliff Kingsbury’s system. After disappointing last season alongside Josh Rosen and the 32nd ranked Arizona Cardinals offense, Johnson was expected to perform well in a spread scheme with Kyler Murray at the helm.

To start the season, he did exactly that. In his first six games, Johnson rushed 76 times for 298 yards and two touchdowns while catching 30 balls for 315 yards and three touchdowns. If extrapolated to a full 16 games, Johnson would have accumulated 1,600 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Johnson’s nagging injuries kept him sidelined for several games, and he ultimately lost his job to Kenyan Drake. Even though Johnson was declared healthy by his coach and the organization, he only managed 23 more touches and 100 more yards over his final five games. Johnson has been put on the trade block by the Cardinals given his contract situation prevents Arizona from cutting him outright.

Johnson has two more years and $20 million left on his deal; his cap hit is $14 million for 2020. If traded, the Cardinals would take on a dead cap hit of $6 million, while saving approximately $8 million in 2020 cap space.

Given Arizona has $52 million in cap space and needs at nearly every position along the roster (especially among their 32nd ranked defense), they would be inclined to get Johnson’s contract off of their books so they can rebuild both sides of the ball.

Johnson may not be over the hill as of yet, but his injury history, large dead cap number, and overall ineffectiveness toward the end of the season would make it difficult for any team to acquire him without also requiring a draft pick in return.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to mind as a potential trade partner for the Cardinals. Head coach Bruce Arians has worked with David Johnson before and the former 2015 third-round pick had his best years under Arians. The Buccaneers have nearly $85 million in cap space and a need at running back, given incumbents, Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones, both failed to eclipse 750 rushing yards or 350 receiving yards this past year.

Tampa Bay would get a previously-successful running back to add to their core along with a mid-round draft choice, while Arizona would be able to re-sign Drake and other viable free agents with their added cap room. This deal would benefit both parties.