Depending on how the 2023 NFL season begins for teams, they may be motivated to buy or sell at the trade deadline, creating some major trades. For me personally, my favorite part of the NFL is free agency and when major trades go down. The drama that comes from both is just addicting to me.
Well, the 2023 NFL free agency period was like any other; electric and dramatic. The 2023 NFL season itself could also bring some of the same feelings. Depending on how the season goes before the trade deadline, certain teams may be motivated to buy or sell at the deadline. This could cause a few major trades to go down. We do see this pretty regularly.
Buying and selling at the deadline is common across all major professional sports. In the NFL, where success seems to be desired quicker than in other sports, teams are more motivated to take some huge risks.
Could we see a few major trades go down during the 2023 NFL season? Let’s detail a few that could happen.
2023 NFL Season: 3 major in-season trades that could go down
WR Mike Evans to the New York Giants
What exactly did the New York Giants do at wide receiver this year besides re-signing some of their own players? They still don’t have a true #1 at the position, which could present a problem. The problem could be amplified if RB Saquon Barkley and the Giants cannot come to an agreement on a long-term deal and Barkley holds out.
Daniel Jones is a pedestrian QB who played pretty average last year with some excellent coaching from Brian Daboll. He’s that type of QB who needs a lot around him to go right in order to be efficient. Well, the Giants could help Jones’ cause if they were able to acquire stud wide receiver and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans.
Evans, entering his age-30 season, is entering the last year of his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers are not going to be a competitive team this year, I don’t think, and a full rebuild for the team feels likely. Well, even though Evans is a top-10 WR in the NFL, he likely isn’t someone they’d build around in a rebuild.
His age and potential desire to no longer play in Tampa given how the beginning of the 2023 NFL season goes could create a situation where Evans wants out, and I would not blame him. In his first nine seasons, he’s had at least 1,000 receiving yards. Besides his career statistics being appealing to the eyes, he’s been an absurdly productive wide receiver even though he’s usually not thought if in the upper tier of WRs in the NFL, for some reason.
The New York Giants’ offense would achieve new heights with Evans in the mix.
2023 NFL Season: 3 major in-season trades that could go down
C Ryan Kelly to the Denver Broncos
The Indianapolis Colts are not going to be a serious team this year. They are in year one with a rookie head coach and QB, so this is likely going to be a lean year of transition for the team, who has cycled through veteran QBs each year since Andrew Luck shockingly retired. Well, the Colts did draft some OL in the 2023 NFL Draft, and one of their more veteran players on their entire roster is Ryan Kelly, their center.
Kelly, 30, was a first round pick back in 2016 and has been the Colts’ full-time starter at center ever since. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and was at one point one of the best in the NFL. He took a small step back in 2022, but so did the entire offensive line in Indy.
Moreover, Kelly has just two years left on his current contract, and the Colts can enjoy some nice cap savings in the 2023 NFL season and in 2024. They’d save $10.1 million this year and $12.3 million next year if they traded Kelly before the trade deadline in 2023.
Kelly is still a solid center, but perhaps Indianapolis desires to go in a different direction at some point with someone who is younger and cheaper. The Denver Broncos feel like a logical landing spot for Kelly. Denver boosted their OL in free agency, signing LG Ben Powers and RT Mike McGlinchey. Depending on where you look, you’ll see the Broncos’ OL with pretty high praise going into the 2023 NFL season.
However, they have a huge hole at center that Lloyd Cushenberry is projected to fill. The issue there is, though, is Cushenberry is not good, at all. He’s one of the worst starting centers in the NFL and if Denver is in a decent enough position by the time the deadline rolls around, they might want to boost their OL if Cushenberry proves to not be the one to lockdown that center spot.
2023 NFL Season: 3 major in-season trades that could go down
DT Aaron Donald to the Baltimore Ravens
The last trade proposal I’m making in the 2023 NFL season is Aaron Donald being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Donald is in an interesting situation. He flirted with retirement recently but decided to re-up with the Los Angeles Rams on a huge contract extension.
However, heading into the 2023 NFL season, the Rams do not look like a serious team, and I’m wondering if Donald is already planning his escape from the team if the beginning of the season does not go well. Outside of Ronald, Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford, the Rams don’t have much else and I don’t see them being a viable playoff team.
Why would Donald want to waste the last year or so of his career on a bad team? If he went to the Rams’ front office and asked for a trade, they’d most definitely owe it to the greatest defensive player of all time to ship him off to his team of choice.
I don’t think there’d be anyway the Rams would refuse to trade him. LA could get a decent haul of draft picks back for Donald, which would greatly help them in a rebuild.
I’m proposing him going to the Baltimore Ravens, simply because I think the Ravens could be in a spot to add at the deadline and believe that they could use a boost along their defensive line. Their pass rushers are questionable and I think their interior defensive is on the weaker end.
Donald being inserted into a defense that has underperformed in recent years would be a nice boost. The Ravens defense did play much better after their acquisition of Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton patrolling the secondary would give the Ravens legitimate playmakers at each level of their defense.