What we've seen in previous offseasons are teams not afraid to make major moves to find solutions to notable roster holes. With how quickly some teams have been able to turn things around, NFL front offices are able to convince themselves that their team might only be a major move away from contention.
But it doesn't always work like that. With free agency now about one month away, the biggest roster shift of the entire year is about to happen, and while many players are going to cash in on free agency deals, others could be sent to new teams via trade, which is honestly even more dramatic and over the top than regular free agency transactions.
Ahead of the free agency period in March, let's predict every single major trade.
Predicting every major trade ahead of 2026 NFL Free Agency
AJ Brown to the Buffalo Bills for a 2026 2nd-Round Pick
Before the 2020 NFL Season, the Buffalo Bills swung a trade for Stefon Diggs, one of the better wide receivers in the NFL at the time. The following season, Josh Allen broke out for the first time. Well, with the wide receiver room currently in the state that it's in for Buffalo, another notable trade at the position could be on the horizon.
If AJ Brown was on the Bills ahead of the 2025 playoffs, there's a chance that the Bills win the Super Bowl. Bills' General Manager Brandon Beane has whiffed on a ton of players in the NFL Draft, and this is especially true at wide receiver.
Acquiring Brown for a second-round pick is an ideal move for the team. The Philadelphia Eagles feel poised to at least pick up the phone and listen to offers, but there really isn't any argument for Brown to go for a first-round pick. A second-rounder likely gets it done.
Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos for a 2026 1st-Round Pick
The Denver Broncos did have some level of interest in Jaylen Waddle at the NFL trade deadline, but the front office clearly did not want to pay the price. To be blunt, they should have, as the Broncos wide receiver room is a bottom-7 unit in the NFL.
Courtland Sutton is not a WR1, but more fitting as a high-end no. 2. Waddle would still make a ton of sense for the Broncos for the 30th overall pick. With the Miami Dolphins beginning a new era, and likely to move on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, they should continue to rip the Band-Aid of and acquire a second first-round pick in a Waddle trade.
The Broncos would then get a legitimate no. 1 target to form an elite duo alongside Sutton, who is turning more into a third-down, posession-type of player for the Broncos, which is perfectly fine.
DJ Moore to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 3rd-Round Pick
DJ Moore actually had career-worst production in 2025 with the Chicago Bears, but that isn't because he can't play anymore. The Bears have Moore under a pretty hefty contract, and they could use some more cap space to help fix the defensive line. Sending Moore to the Kansas City Chiefs for a third-round pick would not only give the Bears extra NFL Draft capital, but it would give the Chiefs a much-needed weapon.
Moore still has multiple 1,000-yard seasons left in the tank. He's a sure-handed, well-rounded player who could instantly become the top option in the Chiefs' offense. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is working his way back from a torn ACL, so he'll need some security blankets on offense as he gets more eased into the lineup. Moore is a logical target for the Chiefs in the offseason.
Kyler Murray to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2026 5th-Round Pick
The Arizona Cardinals might have a hard time trading Kyler Murray for financial reasons, as his contract is quite large, but we can all see that Murray, when healthy, is a good quarterback in this league. He's never really ascended beyond that 'good' label, which is a slight concern, but he's absolutely one of the 32 best players at his position in the NFL.
And in an ideal scenario, he could flirt with being a top-12 player. Well, the Minnesota Vikings figure to be in the market for a quarterback upgrade, and Murray, as wild as it sounds, could be a viable solution here. The veteran quarterback does have a lively arm, can throw a nice deep ball, and is obviously a player who has rushing ability.
He's also never been in as secure an offensive situation as the Vikings currently have, with a top-notch offensive mind in Kevin O'Connell, a rock-solid offensive line, and some excellent weapons. Given Murray's contract, the Cardinals might honestly just have to take what they can get, which may only amount to something around a 5th-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.
Maxx Crosby to the Chicago Bears for a 2026 1st-Round Pick and a 2027 1st-Round Pick
It's probably only a matter of time before the Las Vegas Raiders trade Maxx Crosby. With Crosby apparently telling Tom Brady he's never going to play for the Raiders again, Vegas may not have much of a choice but to send him to another team.
Crosby is still a top-tier player at his position and is certainly sure to fetch multiple first-round picks in a deal. Well, the Bears make a ton of sense. Chicago needs another pass-rusher and has to get more stout again the run. Crosby can help out with both aspects here and help propel the Bears further up the NFC hierarchy in 2026 and beyond.
The Raiders would then have two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, which is ideal for a rebuild.
Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2026 1st-Round Pick
The Kansas City Chiefs are not in a great situation overall. The cap is a bit of a mess, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL late in the regular season, and the roster, overall, just isn't that good. Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach has really dropped the ball at many positions, but some of his mistakes have also been doubling-down on the wrong players with contract extensions.
The Chiefs need a bit of a roster reset, and one way they could do that is by trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a first-round pick. The Rams own the Atlanta Falcons first-rounder, so LA would still have that pick to spare in this hypothetical trade.
We've also seen Rams General Manager Les Snead get aggressive. There was a period of time there where the Rams went multiple NFL Drafts without a first-rounder. Given the weakness in the secondary and the Rams clearly being a juggernaut, adding a player like McDuffie makes all the sense in the world, and it also allows the Chiefs an extra first-round pick to rework this roster.
Dexter Lawrence to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 3rd and 4th-Round Picks
This one could be a bit of a surprising move, but with the San Francisco 49ers needing some defensive line help, and the New York Giants having just hired a new head coach, Dexter Lawrence, who has voiced his displeasure before with the Giants, could look for a fresh start.
Lawrence on the 49ers would make a lot of sense for a couple of mid-round picks, as the Giants do have a bit of a logjam along the defensive line, and the Niners have a massive need at the position. There isn't a guarantee that Lawrence or any of these other players get moved, but there are always high-end trades every NFL offseason.
It's really only a matter of time before the major trades begin, and if these trade predictions come true, this coming offseason could be one for trhe record books.