Early look at the NFL trade deadline: 10 candidates to move, five teams to watch, five predictions

The NFL's trade deadline is about five and a half weeks away. On one hand, that makes it a little bit early to be talking about who could get moved and where they could go. But on the other hand ... there were already two trades this week! If the Vikings, Giants, Steelers and Cowboys don't think it's too early to talk trades, then neither do we. So, here's our annual trade deadline lookahead, complete with a list of 10 names who could be on the move for various reasons, five teams we think could be active in trade discussions and a few predictions thrown in at the end just for fun. Remember: The trade deadline is Nov. 10 (4 p.m. ET), which falls right after Week 9 as the league hits midseason. We don't know for sure which teams will be adding and which teams will be subtracting. A lot of what you'll read below comes with the appropriate disclaimers. If the Raiders keep winning, for example, it's more likely they add than subtract. If the Chargers keep losing, they're more likely to subtract than add. And so on. Nothing here is firm -- we are simply using conversations with team executives around the league to highlight some situations in which roster needs, team fit or contract situations might lead to activity. Let's begin with players to keep an eye on. Jump to: 10 players who could get traded Five teams that could be adding Five predictions for what will happen 10 players who could get traded before the Nov. 10 deadline Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals Harrison, the fourth pick of the 2024 draft, is tied for fifth on his own team in targets behind tight end Trey McBride, wide receivers Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne and rookie running back Jordan Love. He has the same number of targets (nine) as Tyler Allgeier, the team's No. 2 running back. Harrison has caught four passes for 73 yards in three games (after posting a 41-608-4 line in 2025). The perception of Harrison from people around the league is that he isn't a fit in an Arizona offense that prioritizes McBride as its top target, and that has led some teams to think he might be available. For their part, the Cardinals have given no indication that they are eager or even interested in trading Harrison. But if he's still an afterthought in the offense a month from now, there are plenty of teams that would be interested in taking a shot on his talent and making him a bigger part of their offense. Khalil Mack, Edge, Los Angeles Chargers The Chargers being 0-3 is one of the big surprises of the early part of the season. They expected to be high-level contenders and therefore are not of the mindset to be moving players. If they turn it around and look like the team we expected, then no, I don't think they'd trade their beloved veteran edge rusher. But if they don't turn it around, and if they think they're slipping out of contention come early November, Mack could be appealing to a contending team looking to improve its pass rush for the stretch run. He signed for one year and $18 million this offseason, but $10 million of that was a signing bonus that has already been paid. So an acquiring team would be on the hook for only whatever remains of his $8 million salary at the time of the trade. Mack has two sacks through three games. Mason Rudolph, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers As I stated in Wednesday's buzz file, I expect at least one more quarterback to get traded ahead of the deadline. The Vikings already dealt J.J. McCarthy to the Giants earlier this week, but it's a position at which teams are always looking to improve (I guess unless we're talking about the three-deep Ben Johnson Bears). So I'm putting Rudolph in here as kind of an avatar. The Steelers have four quarterbacks on their roster -- 42-year-old starter Aaron Rodgers, second-year man Will Howard, rookie Drew Allar and Rudolph. If something happens to Rodgers and he can't play, I believe Rudolph would take over. But if we get to early November and Rodgers is still healthy, the Steelers could get an offer that convinces them to move on from their longtime backup. That'd be especially true if, by then, they feel good about Howard and/or Allar as Rodgers' backups. Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans The Titans have not looked good -- Pollard sort of has, rushing for 173 yards at 4.6 per carry. He's also 29 years old and making an affordable $6.74 million in the final year of his contract. Tennessee still has Tyjae Spears in the backfield, and the Titans drafted Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton in the fifth round of this year's draft. Running back is a position where teams endure significant attrition throughout the season, and Pollard is a veteran who could help fill a hole with a contender if the Titans fall out of contention as many expect. If he's healthy and not in Tennessee's long-term plans beyond this season, Pollard is the kind of player who could be on the move. Josh Sweat, Edge, Arizona Cardinals Sweat has two years left on his contract, but none of the money beyond this season is guaranteed, and he did spend a chunk of the offseason in a contract dispute with the team. At one point, he reportedly requested a trade. I don't want to pick on the Cardinals, who have shown a great deal of fight under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur and could well be 2-2 after this weekend. But if they do tumble out of contention, that's not the kind of thing that makes veterans with contract gripes stop wanting out. Sweat is a Super Bowl champion who's not yet 30 and could be very interesting to pass-rush-needy teams at the deadline. He is without a sack so far in 2026, but he had 12 last season. Keisean Nixon, CB, Green Bay Packers The Packers, like the Chargers, did not expect to have a losing record at this point (or probably any point) of the season. They're dealing with massive injury issues, particularly on the offensive line -- the type of thing that can make it very tough to right the ship after a difficult start. Nixon is 29 and in the final year of his contract. He has experience as a kick returner as well as cornerback, and an acquiring team would be on the hook for only a prorated portion of his $4.3 million 2026 salary. Josh Uche, Edge, Miami Dolphins There are a lot of edge rushers on this list, but it's a spot at which teams are always looking for help. Uche signed a one-year, minimum deal with the Dolphins. He's a seven-year veteran who's playing well for a team in the first year of a significant rebuild. If the Dolphins get the opportunity to turn this signing into a useful draft pick, it's not at all hard to imagine them jumping on it. Daron Payne, DT, Washington Commanders His contract voids at the end of the season, which will make him a free agent -- unless the Commanders extend him first. If they do that, feel free to scratch him right off this list. But if they don't, and if the Commanders aren't in the NFC East race by midseason, their 2018 first-round pick could be of interest to teams looking to fill holes along their defensive lines. If the Commanders aren't tumbling out of contention by November, they could also be the type of team that's looking to trade a veteran player for another, potentially dealing a guy who isn't part of their future for a player they believe could be. Or maybe they could look to strengthen a different position. There are a lot of ways the season can still go in Washington, but it might need to stay active in order to keep its playoff hopes alive. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns Jeudy is still only 27 years old, and he's signed through 2027. But the Browns' wide receiver corps has been taken over by rookies, and Jeudy might no longer fit squarely into the plans. He's owed about $23 million in salary and bonus for 2027, but it's not guaranteed, so an acquiring team wouldn't likely be deterred by that. He has two catches for 26 yards in 2026, and he had just 602 last season (though he cracked 1,200 in 2024, his first year in Cleveland). Maxx Crosby, Edge, Las Vegas Raiders Crosby is on this list because he's a huge name who has been on these lists for a year now. Heck, he actually did get traded to the Ravens for two first-round picks in March, but Baltimore backed out of the deal because of concerns over his physical. He's at the end of this list instead of the beginning because, well, I don't think the Raiders are actually going to trade him. The Raiders are 3-0 and very clearly better than most of us thought they were going to be. Even if they go 1-5 in their next six games, they'd be 4-5 at the deadline and would have no obvious need to throw in the towel. If they do better than that, they could be adding at a position such as wide receiver or defensive line. Crosby's relationship with the team is, by all accounts, in a much better place than it was at the end of last season, and he's enjoying the early success of the Klint Kubiak era. Teams will continue to ask, especially if he keeps playing well and looking healthy, but the Raiders don't have to trade him, and I don't think they will unless they get blown away by an offer the way they were by the Ravens' deal in the spring. Five teams that could be adding at the deadline Chicago Bears (2-1) This is clearly a team looking to ascend, rather than regress, from last season's surprising success. GM Ryan Poles has been aggressive since he got to Chicago in acquiring players, and the Bears have needs at defensive back and pass rusher. Assuming they survive this current stretch with QB Caleb Williams injured (and Monday's victory with Case Keenum over the Eagles was a good start), the Bears should be on the hunt for the player or two they believe can get them over the top. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) Always, right? There's no more perennially active NFL general manager than Philly's Howie Roseman, who was making NFL trades before it got cool. The Eagles are showing early cracks along the offensive line and, somewhat surprisingly, on defense. Don't expect them to sit on their hands, though having already dealt their 2027 third-round pick to the Vikings for Jonathan Greenard does leave them a little more short on capital than usual. Las Vegas Raiders (3-0) Why not? If the Raiders spring another upset or two over the next month and get to the deadline over .500, it's not at all out of the question that they'd look to beef up their wide receiver corps for rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza whenever the time comes to make him the starter. Detroit Lions (2-1) The Lions' schedule should keep them afloat, but they have so many problems on the back end of their defense that they almost have to be looking for help at those positions. Detroit has reason to wonder whether it's closer to the end of its title-contending window than the beginning, so it needs to make sure it can make a playoff run this season. Los Angeles Rams (1-2) The Rams spent the entire offseason stamping themselves as perhaps the most win-now team of all time. Yet they're 1-2 as October dawns and have more weaknesses than many expected. They have only four picks in next year's draft (and no 2028 second-rounder) as a result of the trades for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, so it won't be easy for them if they need to add a major piece. But the Rams don't turn down opportunities for big swings. Five trade deadline predictions based on early buzz At least one more quarterback will be traded. I already mentioned Mason Rudolph, but veterans Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew II, Andy Dalton and others could move if the depth charts on those teams shift over the coming weeks. Young guys such as Anthony Richardson Sr., Stetson Bennett IV or, yes, even Shedeur Sanders could be interesting to teams looking for a developmental QB who needs a change of scenery. Always watch for under-the-radar QB trades at this time of year. Again, we've already had one. Teams will try to get Brian Thomas Jr. from the Jaguars. I don't know whether they will succeed, because the Jaguars still acknowledge that Thomas offers something their other wide receivers don't from a talent and physical profile standpoint. But the 2024 first-rounder isn't a big part of the Jaguars' offense right now, and there are a lot of teams (Chiefs? 49ers? Raiders?) looking for difference-makers at wide receiver. Could someone offer the Jags enough to change their minds? The Chiefs will make an unexciting trade. Kansas City gets rumored as a destination for a lot of very exciting players, in part because of how uninspiring Patrick Mahomes' wide receiver group has been and how enticing it is to imagine him with a talent such as, say, Brian Thomas Jr. But while the Chiefs always seem to make a move at the deadline, it's more often to add a player such as Kadarius Toney or late-career DeAndre Hopkins than a Breece Hall or Jaylen Waddle. Kansas City made its big offensive move this offseason by signing running back Kenneth Walker III, which looks like a pretty good decision so far. The Cowboys aren't done trading. Dallas has only four picks left in next year's draft -- including nothing in the third, fifth or sixth rounds -- as a result of deals for Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. And recent years have established the Cowboys as a far more disciplined team than they're often given credit for. But something seems different about owner Jerry Jones this season, and the Porter deal is the most recent bit of evidence to support his bluster about his willingness and desperation to do whatever it takes to elevate this group. If nothing else, maybe the Cowboys could trade away a backup player or two to help replenish that stash of picks. But another aggressive swing would not be a surprise. Mac Jones will still be a 49er when the deadline passes. The 49ers value Jones very highly. They know they can win with him if something should happen to starter Brock Purdy. They had several inquiries on Jones in the offseason and will get more in the coming weeks, but I don't believe there's a team out there willing to give the Niners the compensation they seek for him. Even though they hope he never has to play, the 49ers consider Jones an important part of their roster and believe they're better with him than without him. San Francisco went 5-3 in his eight starts last season, with Jones throwing 13 touchdown passes over that stretch.