The 2024 NFL Trade Deadline could bring a ton of major moves. Let's try to predict the three biggest ahead of the 2024 NFL Season. The trade deadline is still months away, but there are some players at the moment that feel like logical candidates to be moved at the NFL Trade Deadline.
The trade deadline is a time where some teams enter a rebuilding mode, while others take advantage and try to load up for a playoff run. Could these three big-name players get moved at the 2024 deadline, and where could they end up?
NFL Predictions: Predicting major trade deadline moves in the 2024 season
Davante Adams is traded to the Detroit Lions
It's hard to envision Davante Adams making it through the 2024 NFL Season with the Las Vegas Raiders. We can say with a degree of certainty that Adam did want to play with his former college teammate, Derek Carr, when the trade initially went down a couple of years go. The Raiders have gotten much worse since then and Carr is on the New Orleans Saints.
With Adams aging into his 30s, there is no reason for him to remain in Vegas for the rest of his career, and with the Raiders projected to be poor this season, them trading Adams at the deadline makes a ton of sense. The Raiders could get some cap relief and perhaps multiple draft picks.
The Detroit Lions have a clear need, even right now, for another wide receiver, and this team could not be more all-in than they are now. Giving Jared Goff another weapon would be amazing, as he'd have all of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Davante Adams on offense.
Marshon Lattimore is traded to the Denver Broncos
Marshon Lattimore was drafted by Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints back in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Saints are just not going to be very good in 2024 and desperately need some long-term cap relief. This is a very likely candidate to be heavy sellers at the deadline, and I would not be surprised to see someone like Derek Carr get movd.
The Saints just need to start fresh and blow it up. They drafted Spencer Rattler in the 2024 NFL Draft, so if the team is out of it, or largely seen as being out of it, I could see a scenario where they offload some defensive players at the deadline and perhaps try to trade Derek Carr, paving the way for Rattler to get some starts.
The Denver Broncos make a ton of sense for Lattimore. The team does not currently have a reliable CB2, and their secondary does have a ton of inexperienced youth players. Adding a veteran player like Lattimore to pair with Patrick Surtain II and stud slot CB Ja'Quan McMillian could give Denver the little boost they may need on defense for a surprise stretch run.
Tee Higgins is traded to the Green Bay Packers
Fun! Tee Higgins will be a free agent following the 2024 NFL Season, as he is on the franchise tag, and it seems like there is virtually no chance that the Cincinnati Bengals extend him. They are in a standoff with their best wide receiver, Ja'Marr Chase, so any chance of a Higgins extension probably do not exist.
That could lead to the talented WR hitting the FA market, but what if the Bengals tried to get a Green Bay Packers and a draft pick back for Higgins? Green Bay has a ton of young wide receivers, but none of them really stick out as a WR1 at this point. They're also not paying a ton of players on offense, so a high-end WR contract will fit.
What if, for example, the Packers traded Romeo Doubs and a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for Tee Higgins? The Packers get their WR1, still have a very good WR room, and the Bengals also net a player on his rookie deal who is a bit younger and still net a draft pick in return.
To me, this trade deadline move still allows both team to make a deep playoff run as well.