It’s time to fire up your imaginations because NFL trades are about to start going down. In the 2022 offseason, we saw some of the biggest blockbuster deals all in a matter of a couple of weeks as the Denver Broncos struck a deal for quarterback Russell Wilson, the Raiders traded for Davante Adams, and the Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill. With the NFL free agency frenzy upon us, what kinds of blockbuster deals could we see go down in 2023?
I would say it’s safe to expect the unexpected. Although not every trade is going to come out of left field, there will almost undoubtedly be some deals that drop jaws to the floor. Let’s take a look at 10 of them.
10 blockbuster trades we could see during NFL Free Agency frenzy
10. Courtland Sutton to the Dallas Cowboys
Heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, there were plenty of rumors swirling that the Dallas Cowboys could use their top pick on SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton. In fact, many people thought that was their clear Plan A. Instead, the Cowboys took Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, and Sutton fell into the second round.
The Denver Broncos scooped him up with the 40th overall pick, near the top of the second round, and Sutton went on to make the Pro Bowl in just his second NFL season. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL early in the 2020 season and missed most of the year. He came back in 2021 and 2022 to have some okay seasons, but Sutton has not returned to his 2019 form.
Denver Broncos GM George Paton signed Sutton to a team-friendly four-year deal worth $60.8 million in total money before the end of the 2021 season. Sutton has a trigger in that contract that guarantees his $14 million salary in 2023 on March 20.
The Broncos don’t have first or second-round picks thanks to their wide variety of trades in the last calendar year, specifically the Russell Wilson and Sean Payton trades. With Tim Patrick coming back healthy and the emergence of Jerry Jeudy, could the Broncos send Sutton to Dallas where he would provide Dak Prescott with a desperately needed additional threat?
Dallas would have to clear some cap space, but they might be able to get the Broncos to take on some of Sutton’s salary this season if they are willing to pay up something like a second-round pick.
9. Trey Lance to the Atlanta Falcons
Would the San Francisco 49ers really trade Trey Lance ahead of the 2023 season? This is the guy they traded prime NFL Draft real estate to move up for just two offseasons ago. The 49ers have built a long-term plan around Trey Lance, but that long-term plan has taken a bit of a shot in the last year.
Lance was the starter for the 49ers to open the 2022 season and he suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle. Unfortunately, that injury combined with Lance’s lack of time on task since the 2019 season at North Dakota State has really put his immediate future in question. The 49ers are in a position right now where they could probably still recoup some decent assets for a player as talented as Lance, and the reason they may pursue something like this is the recent emergence of Brock Purdy.
The 49ers could trade Trey Lance to the Atlanta Falcons, who had so much success this past year with Marcus Mariota (relatively speaking) and a run-oriented offense under Arthur Smith. The Falcons didn’t seem overly heartbroken during the 2021 NFL Draft that they missed out on Trey Lance, but perhaps they would prefer him now to their options with the 8th overall pick.
The Falcons could get Lance in the fold while sending the 49ers that 8th overall pick and perhaps more on top of that. It would be a risk for both sides, but the 49ers could roll with Brock Purdy and a draft pick or they could sign someone in NFL Free Agency. One way or another, the 49ers could be motivated to trade Lance if the price is right because their window with him is becoming limited. He’s entering his third season and they haven’t seen anything from him.
It could make sense for both sides here to take this kind of chance.
8. Brandin Cooks to the Denver Broncos
The arrival of Sean Payton in Denver certainly has created a buzz in the NFL world. It could also come with some big-time additions on the offensive side of the ball by Broncos GM George Paton. Sean Payton was the coach in New Orleans for 16 years so he has connections to a ton of different players around the league, including one particular wide receiver who could be exactly what the Denver Broncos need this offseason.
That player is former New Orleans Saints first-round pick Brandin Cooks. The Saints took Cooks in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State, and he was very successful there for them for a few years before getting traded to the New England Patriots. Cooks has been traded more than any other player in league history and that could continue into 2023.
The Broncos need a receiver with long speed who can provide the team with a vertical threat to stretch the defense. They hoped KJ Hamler could be that guy, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field.
A reunion between Cooks and Sean Payton makes a ton of sense and Cooks has not been shy about liking Sean Payton and Broncos-related content on Twitter and Instagram. Does he already know something we don’t?
If the Broncos decide to keep the majority of their receiver room in tact, they would have players like Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, and Brandin Cooks at their disposal. Perhaps even KJ Hamler if he is able to stay healthy.
Even if the Broncos were to trade away one of those guys (save for Jeudy) and found a way to bring Brandin Cooks into the fold, it might be one of the most impactful NFL trades of the 2023 offseason.
7. Brian Burns to the Chicago Bears in a package for the #1 pick
The Chicago Bears seem poised to trade the no. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the highest bidder. If you weren’t watching NFL Network’s coverage of the 2023 Scouting Combine, you may have missed some of the rumblings from top reporter Ian Rapoport, who intimated that a trade for the no. 1 overall pick could get done before free agency due to the fact that it might involve a player going back to the Bears.
Who could that player be?
Given the fact that the Bears have the leverage to have their cake and eat it too, in this situation, it makes sense that they would be going after a trade with another team in the top 10 overall picks, and it makes sense that they would be going after a cornerstone type of player in return for the top overall pick.
If the price to acquire the top overall pick from the Bears is at least three first-round picks, then pass rusher Brian Burns from the Panthers might be worth two of them. The Panthers allegedly turned down offers of multiple future first-round picks for Burns last year, so we know his value to them is high. Burns won’t turn 25 until April. He’s been one of the most effective pass rushers in the league for the last four years.
The Panthers need a quarterback, however, and sometimes there is a hefty price to pay to get one. Brian Burns is the type of trade piece that could get Carolina into the no. 1 overall slot without paying the Bears upwards of three future first-round picks, or the equivalent value.
Here’s a deal I could see going down:
Panthers get:
- 1st overall pick
- 134th pick
Bears get:
- EDGE Brian Burns
- 9th overall pick
- 40th pick
- 2024 2nd-round pick
- 2025 3rd-round pick
Bears fans may have their sights set on much more NFL Draft capital than this, but Brian Burns would be a true cornerstone piece for that defense under head coach Matt Eberflus. A true game-changer at a key position. That 9th pick could then be used on someone like Paris Johnson Jr. out of Ohio State, with the 40th overall pick in place to recoup the asset the Bears traded to acquire Chase Claypool.
We already know the Bears will be hugely active in NFL Free Agency and money is going to be flying out of that front office in Chicago, but perhaps their biggest move of the 2023 offseason will be getting Burns on a long-term deal after trading the top pick to the Panthers, who could then select Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or whoever their hearts desire.
6. Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets
There’s nothing wild about Aaron Rodgers and his fit with the New York Jets at this point in time. The wild aspect of this trade would be the Packers actually pulling the trigger. It just doesn’t feel like they’ve got what it takes to do it.
Aaron Rodgers is the greatest player in franchise history, arguably. Maybe not even arguably. Rodgers was back-to-back MVP in 2020 and 2021 but the Packers as a team took a big step back in 2022. And Rodgers isn’t immune from blame, there. There’s such tension here because it feels like things could go a few directions still, but after Derek Carr signed with the Saints and spurned the Jets, perhaps New York will ramp up their pursuit of Rodgers and make Brian Gutekunst (Packers GM) an offer he cannot refuse.
What would that look like?
I think offering two first-round picks, maybe another mid-round pick or two to sweeten the deal, would get it done. The Packers understand at this point that Rodgers is a borderline year-to-year investment, for them or any team. Getting two first-round picks from him would be a huge haul and that’s a price the Jets would probably happily pay to contend in the AFC East.
BONUS: Zach Wilson to the Las Vegas Raiders
As a bonus trade, how about Zach Wilson to the Las Vegas Raiders? It’s going to take a head coach with some hubris to take on the project that is Wilson, and I toyed with a number of ideas here before ultimately settling on the Raiders. Josh McDaniels, in just his second year as an NFL head coach, traded up to select Tim Tebow as his QB of the future. There may be no head coach in the league with more hubris.
The price would have to be right, but if the Jets can get a decent mid-round pick for Wilson after acquiring Rodgers, that might be a smart play for them. Move on from Wilson, let him go make his mark somewhere else, and who knows? This might just be so crazy, it could work.
5. Mike Evans to the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs went with a budget-friendly approach at the wide receiver position in 2022 after making the blockbuster deal to send away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. As shocking as that deal was, the Chiefs made out alright, winning the Super Bowl this past season and having the best offense in the entire NFL.
It just goes to show that you can plug just about anyone into that KC offense and they are going to have success. I guess you can’t really say the Chiefs did the league any favors, but I doubt they’re just going to sit on their hands in the 2023 offseason, either.
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman are both free agents. The Chiefs have an opportunity to really upgrade the receiver position this offseason with Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore expected to come back this next season and really see more extensive roles.
With that being said, I wonder if we could see the rich get even richer with Kansas City going shopping at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire sale. As of right now, it’s not clear whether the Bucs are in “everything must go” mode or not, but it stands to reason that they could try to maximize the value of some of their players, including someone as legendary to that franchise as Mike Evans.
Evans, who doesn’t even turn 30 until August, has had nine straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his remarkable NFL career. He helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, and now he might be an option to help them win back-to-back titles in Kansas City.
Evans would give the Chiefs something they currently don’t have in their offense, which is a consistent outside threat with big-time size. You combine Mike Evans with the likes of Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling? You have one of the most dominant groups of skill guys in the entire league. Good luck defending that group with Patrick Mahomes playing point guard.
4. DeAndre Hopkins to the Patriots (Bill O’Brien reunion)
You know what would be wild? Seeing DeAndre Hopkins reunite with Bill O’Brien as a member of the New England Patriots. The Patriots have a desperate need for wide receiver help, so this move wouldn’t be overly shocking from that standpoint. It would also make a ton of sense considering the Cardinals’ new GM — Monti Ossenfort — is a disciple of the New England Patriots.
Ossenfort is running the Cardinals, and they look like a bit of a complete rebuild project. Aside from having Kyler Murray in place, this is a roster that’s going to need to be reset, and if Ossenfort can get a decent pick for Hopkins (2nd-3rd round pick), he might just pull the trigger.
The Patriots, as we all well know, love to buy low on players like this. If they see a guy like Hopkins as capable of helping them get into a competitive window, they’re going to take that shot. The thing about this move is, Hopkins was once traded in a very unpopular move at the time by Bill O’Brien when both were with the Houston Texans.
O’Brien was obviously later fired by Houston and wound up coaching at Alabama for two seasons, but he’s now back as the play-caller in New England. Perhaps these two can let bygones be bygones because Hopkins had the most success in his NFL career when he was playing in O’Brien’s offense with the Texans.
In fact, Hopkins was a first-team All-Pro for three years straight (2017-19) while he was with O’Brien in Houston. Those years also coincide with three of the best years in Deshaun Watson’s NFL career, but you get the gist. Hopkins and O’Brien seem to work well together even if there might be some bad blood there from the trade that was made three years ago.
Hopkins could be exactly what the Patriots need with their current situation at wide receiver, and I’m sure Bill O’Brien would relish the chance to work with him again.
3. Derrick Henry to the Detroit Lions
If the Tennessee Titans are getting ready to reload, there may not be a better time than the 2023 offseason to get what they can for King Derrick Henry. Derrick Henry has been one of the best running backs in the NFL for the last five years, there’s no question about it. Thanks to the dominance of Henry, the Titans have kind of been a surprising team overall since 2019.
During that 2019 season, the Titans benched former top pick Marcus Mariota and replaced him with Ryan Tannehill at the QB position. After making that swap of quarterbacks, the Titans’ offense took off and they became one of the AFC’s best teams almost overnight.
The job Mike Vrabel has done with this team is remarkable, and Derrick Henry’s success has been in direct correlation with the Titans’ success. But they’ve been driving this car long enough. The Titans have to build a more balanced approach offensively and if they can get something decent in a trade for Henry, they should probably go ahead and take it.
Henry is entering the final year of his contract at the age of 29. The Detroit Lions have one prominent running back hitting free agency (Jamaal Williams) and another who is perhaps unlikely to come back after this season in former second-round pick D’Andre Swift.
How about this deal?
Titans get:
- RB D’Andre Swift
- 2022 2nd-round pick (56 overall)
Lions get:
- RB Derrick Henry
- 2022 5th-round pick
This year’s running back market is so oversaturated that the Titans may not be able to get more than a 2nd or 3rd-round pick for Derrick Henry at this point. The Lions have multiple second-round picks thanks to their deal for TJ Hockenson last year and this would be a big-time move for an offense that really took a huge leap forward in 2023.
For the Titans, it would allow you to take a shot on D’Andre Swift with a bigger workload in your offense as well as give you a very valuable piece of NFL Draft real estate at 56 overall.
2. Jalen Ramsey to the Detroit Lions
One of the more surprising names to enter the 2023 NFL trades mix could be Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey has been arguably the best corner in the game for most of the last seven years, but after a dismal 2022 campaign, the Los Angeles Rams may have one eye on the future and it’s possible they could really recoup some assets for Jalen Ramsey.
I don’t know that the Rams would be able to get their 6th overall pick back from the Detroit Lions for Ramsey, but they might get the 18th overall pick and a future third-rounder in exchange for his services. Those would be two major assets for Les Snead, who has gone from “F*** them Picks” to “Hey, we could use some picks” in a hurry.
The Rams won the Super Bowl after making their barrage of trades for veteran players, so it’s hard to say it wasn’t worth it. Now, they have to think about reloading this roster and Ramsey looks like one of the odd men out.
Some say he’s coming off of a “down” year in 2022, but Ramsey had 88 total tackles and four interceptions, both a career-best or at least tied for it. Another career-high reached in 2022 by Ramsey? He finished with 18 total passes broken up.
He will be 29 this coming season, so it’s not like he’s a bad investment over the next 3-4 years. I think you could see a team like Detroit really view Ramsey as someone who could be the difference-maker their team needs to get over the hump.
Keep in mind — there’s a significant connection between the Rams and Lions beyond just the fact that they came together on the blockbuster Matthew Stafford trade in 2021. Lions GM Brad Holmes is a direct disciple of Rams GM Les Snead. These two have a great relationship and that could come into play when we’re talking about a blockbuster trade for one of the game’s premier cornerbacks.
1. Lamar Jackson to the Houston Texans
If Lamar Jackson ends up getting traded, it would undoubtedly go down as the “wildest” of NFL trades this offseason. The deal the Cleveland Browns made with the Houston Texans in 2022 could serve as a baseline for a deal the Baltimore Ravens could make, and it just so happens that the Houston Texans are one of a few teams that could really facilitate this kind of deal.
The Texans could build their roster the “old school” way, drafting a quarterback and really surrounding him with as much home-grown talent as possible, given how many picks they took from the Browns in last year’s blockbuster deal for Deshaun Watson. What did Cleveland give up to get Watson? A lot.
- 2022 first-round pick (13th overall)
- 2023 first-round pick (12th overall)
- 2024 first-round pick (TBD)
- 2022 4th-round pick
- 2023 3rd-round pick (74th)
- 2024 4th-round pick
Houston has all of that extra draft capital, and they could put together as compelling of a package for Lamar Jackson as you possibly could. They can offer the Ravens the 2nd overall pick in this year’s draft, and the 12th overall pick as well if that’s what they want. They could then offer one of their first-round picks in the 2024 draft (they already have two) and any additional picks on top of that the Ravens would want. Further, the Texans could accommodate Jackson’s financial demands.
New head coach DeMeco Ryans would have a chance to really start off his time rebuilding the culture in Houston with a huge, blockbuster move. A lot of eyes right now are on the Falcons for a Lamar Jackson trade, but just imagine the Ravens could get a haul like this:
- 2023 first-round pick (2nd overall)
- 2023 first-round pick (12th overall)
- 2024 first-round pick (TBD)
- 2023 3rd-round pick (66th overall)
- 2024 3rd-round pick
- 2025 4th-round pick
The Ravens could turn around and select one of the top QB prospects in the draft with that 2nd overall pick, and then they would have picks 12 and 23 remaining in the first round to do even more roster building. The Texans are not the only team that could facilitate a trade for Jackson, but they seem to have the right assets to get the deal done.