Five Wild Trades To Shake Up The NFL Offseason

 

David Bakhtiari to the Bengals for 2023 first round pick, 2023 5th round pick

The Bengals are in prime position to go all in for a Super Bowl. They have a true blue franchise quarterback who is still on his rookie contract but is entering his last year. While the team is guaranteed to exercise his fifth year option and sign him to a long term contract, this is the last year he is for superstar quarterback standards “cheap”. When you combine the fact that fellow 2020 draftee, Tee Higgins, has lined himself up for a huge pay day and one year later Ja’Marr Chase is going to be building his own bank with a contract he is going to get and this team is going to get very expensive very fast. In fact, because all of these players’ rookie contracts are running up at nearly the same time, there has been speculation that perhaps the Bengals should consider trading Tee Higgins to keep the price down and reload with younger guys. That idea was effectively shot down by Bengal’s GM Duke Tobin calling it “ridiculous” and stating that other teams need to “go find your own receiver”. Which firstly, is a pretty hilarious way to defend your players, by calling out and challenging other general managers, so props to him there. Secondly, it means that the Bengals are all in on this team right now, and while the team will get trickier to build once you’ve paid everyone. Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins still have a year left on their rookie contracts and Ja’Marr Chase has two, so the time to go all in is now. Last year the Bengals tried to fix their offensive line by adding multiple pieces to their offensive line, the biggest being guard La’el Collins from the Cowboys. Due to injuries (Collins suffered a torn ACL and MCL), as well as Alex Cappa and Jonah Williams missing time, the offensive line did not take the step forward the team was hoping for and should still be a primary focus in the offseason. 

If the Bengals are looking for a way to get the team over the top next year, they could look to trade for one of the best left tackles in the NFL in David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers. It is important to note that this would only happen if the Packers moved on from Aaron Rodgers, but considering that is a likely possibility, the Packers would probably move into a soft rebuild which could put the 31 year old left tackle on the market. Now this move is not without risk, Bakhtiari suffered a torn ACL near the end of 2020, which due to a few setbacks put him out for all but one game of 2021 and the first third of 2022. Considering he is not the youngest player anymore and he has just recovered from an injury that cost him nearly two years, there is obvious risk making a move for the veteran. But the upside far out ways the risk, pro football focus has him ranked as the best left tackle for the five years before his injury and even this last year after he returned, PFF had him ranked as the second best left tackle only behind 49ers’ superstar Trent Williams. If the Bengals can get him for a first rounder and a middle round pick, they should jump at the opportunity. The Packers meanwhile, would get off of a lot of money while starting what could be a huge stockpile of draft picks, if they trade Rodgers, to build around Jordan Love into the future. These are two franchises moving in opposite directions and they can definitely help each other out. Now is the exact time to go all in for the Bengals, go get Joe Burrow Aaron Rodgers’ long time personal protector.

Tyler Lockett to the Cowboys for 2023 second and fifth round picks

Yes, the Seahawks made the playoffs last year, but let’s not get distracted from the fact that they are still a young team that should be focused on the future. The eight year veteran who is on the wrong side of 30, would be a better fit for a team gearing up to make a run at the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks should realize that Lockett probably only has one or two more prime years left and selling him now would be selling the player at his peak value. They would also still have star receiver DK Metcalf, so it’s not like they would be left barren in the wide receiver room. 

The Cowboys meanwhile are desperate to get a quality second receiver to play opposite of CeeDee Lamb. Last offseason they decided to keep Michael Gallup or Amari Cooper to play that position, and that is not aging well. One year later, Gallup was often hurt and inconsistent when he was playing, putting up a career low 424 total yards. As opposed to Cooper who played well as the WR1 for the Cleveland Browns, compiling 1,160 yards and 9 touchdowns. Even with that decision, the Cowboys are still very close on offense. They have a borderline top 10 quarterback, yes he had a bad game against the 49ers (their defense is really good), they have two good running backs, with freshly franchise tagged Tony Pollard looking like a star. A not spectacular, but solid offensive line, a good tight end in Dalton Schultz, and a star receiver in CeeDee Lamb. This offense could be fantastic but it needs more wide receiver help, enter Tyler Lockett. For years he has been an underrated player, he is coming off of his fourth 1,000 yard season in a row but where he is sneakily very good is in the red zone. While on the smaller side of receivers, he uses his route running and timing to get open which helped Lockett get 9 touchdowns last year and eight or more in each of the last five seasons. Now prying him from the Seahawks shouldn’t be impossible, but it won’t come cheap. Ultimately, if the Cowboys want to win a Super Bowl they need a better WR2, this would also move Gallup back to a deep threat WR3 position he had when Amari Cooper was there and he was most effective. Get this done ‘Boys and give the Eagles some serious unrest about their standing on top of the NFC East.

Jalen Ramsey to the Lions for 2023 first round pick (#18) and 2024 3rd round pick

The Rams made one of the most aggressive “all in” seasons in recent memory. With “Fuck them Picks” as the battle cry and their GM Les Snead literally wearing a shirt rocking that fan favorite statement, the team continually sacrificed the future to try to win right then. To their credit, it worked brilliantly as the Rams bested the Bengals 23-20 to win their second ever Super Bowl in 2021. With results like that, there is no way Snead regrets any of his past decisions but even one year after all the “win now” moves the Rams were hit hard with the lack of future planning. With the team being so heavily reliant on their star players and very quality few young players providing depth and the offseason losses of Von Miller, Odell Beckham, and Andrew Whitworth it was always going to be a struggle replacing them. Of course the Rams then went on to lose Matt Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald as well throughout the season. The play of the team cratered with so many of their star players either gone from the team or injured. All of it ultimately added up to the single most disappointing Super Bowl encore of all time, with the Rams setting a new record for most losses the season after winning the Super Bowl. All of that is to say that the era of “Fuck them picks” for the Rams should, at least temporarily, be over. It is time to start building for the future. 

You can argue that they already did the first big move by releasing middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. But the next thing that the Rams should do is trade star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Both moves could come with a strong eye on the salary cap, the Rams are currently stuck in salary cap hell at the moment, releasing Wagner helped but they might still need one more big move to get out from under the salary cap limit (or a bunch of restructuring would make it work). But trading Ramsey would give the added benefit of adding draft capitala to a team in desperate need of it, the Rams currently don’t have their first, fourth, or fifth round picks this year, due to a variety of trades. The first round pick, number six overall, is headed to Detroit because of the Matt Stafford trade and why not go back to the team you worked with two years ago to unload Ramsey? It’s amazing how fast the NFL can change, when the Lions traded Stafford it seemed like they were entering a long and total teardown of a rebuild. But now, two years later, they are one of the best young teams in the NFL. After missing the playoffs due to a tiebreaker and winning nine games for the first time since 2017, the Lions can actually convince themselves to make some all in moves. The offense looks great, finishing in top five in yards per game and points per game, but the defense is still a major work in progress, finishing with the third worst passing defense. Jalen Ramsey, while he might not quite be in his prime anymore, as he showed some signs of decline last year, is still one of the top ten best cornerbacks in the NFL. His fit would potentially be huge not only on the field but also as a veteran leader as the Lions were the second youngest team in the NFL last year. When Ramsey was traded, in his prime, from the Jaguars to the Rams, it cost the Rams two first round picks and a fourth, they’re not going to get all of that back this time, hell the Lions will probably refuse to give the Rams their #6 overall first round pick back. But the Lions could give up their own first round pick (#18) and a future 3rd round pick to bring the highly touted cover man into Detroit. It’s time for the Rams to rebuild and trading Ramsey to Detroit makes a lot of sense for both teams.

Aaron Rodgers to the Commanders for 2023 first round pick, 2023 third round pick, and 2024 second round pick (conditional on if he plays in 2024)

Aaron Rodgers’ drama is starting to feel like a constant in the NFL offseason, this year should finally be the year the legendary captain of the Green and Gold gets moved. While there are many reports that the New York Jets are going to be the team to steal him from the Packers, not enough people are talking about the Commanders as the next destination. It is widely known that the Jets quarterback play was, to use the scientific term, fugly. But the Commanders weren’t much better, and they also almost made the playoffs with a two headed monster of Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicki. This is because the Commanders have sneakily been one of the more complete teams in the NFL, in 2022, their defense finished third in yards per game with studs like Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen making a stout defensive line. Their offensive line is solid, nothing to write home about, but not a glaring weakness. They have two good young running backs in Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr, and they have a very good receiving core of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. The Commanders went 8-8-1 with generally bad quarterback play, it’s not hard to imagine the team going 13-4 or 12-5 if you substitute a great quarterback into the position. It also makes a lot of sense for the team to make a hard run after someone as prestigious as Aaron Rodgers, after all this is the same team who last year was so determined to land the best quarterback possible that they made it known that they called literally every team in the NFL to inquire about their quarterback. Yes, even teams like the Chiefs and Bengals, who I am sure had long thoughtful conversations about trading their holiest of players. Then after that entire process they landed on franchise savior Carson Wentz, and multiple benchings and less than one year later he is gone. If you don’t think this team is desperate to get a quarterback then you are either the biggest Sam Howell fan in the world or you’re so used to high quality quarterback play that you can’t remember how bad teams feel having horrible quarterbacks for years on end (if that’s the case than lucky you). 

Of course it is much more than just getting the Packers on the phone and trading for Aaron Rodgers, you need permission and a buy-in from the man himself. In any sport you don’t want to trade for a star player if they aren’t going to be motivated and acting like themselves, this is especially the case when trading for a star quarterback who you also need to be the leader for the franchise. But assuming that Aaron Rodgers does not retire, and assuming that he wants to be traded to get to a team that gives him a better chance at winning another Super Bowl, and assuming that Rodgers is willing to play for them (which might be the biggest assumption considering the Commanders had the single worst report card about their organization according to the NFLPA), then this might make sense for both teams. The Commanders finally get their quarterback and can compete for a Super Bowl and the Packers get to reload around Jordan Love and move on with him as their future franchise quarterback. Also if you are a fan of Sam Howell, he can learn behind Rodgers for a year or two, and will probably be in a better position to take over the franchise after Rodgers retires. As far as compensation, he will command a first round pick but don’t expect too much more. With him being much older than Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, teams won’t give as much of a massive haul as they were traded for (those teams were paying for the present and future). I would be surprised if there isn’t a conditional draft pick added depending on whether Rodgers plays more than one year with the team. 

Deandre Hopkins to the Bills for Tre’Davious White and 2023 2nd round pick

Let’s get wild! The Bills were the favorites entering the NFL in 2022 and had a very good regular season finishing 13-3 and on a seven game win streak. But oh boy was the playoffs a capital DISAPPOINTING! First the Bills played a Dolphins team who stumbled into the playoffs, losing five of their last six, had a third string rookie quarterback, and barely won 34-31. Then they were shut down and man handled by the Bengals losing 27-10, with the outcome never in much doubt the entire second half. One sentiment commonly placed on the Bills is the offense is only good when Josh Allen is playing Superman. Now most of the time that’s not a problem, Josh Allen is in the conversation for one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Where it becomes a problem is in the postseason, when the Bills are playing against the best of the best, and defenses focus all their energy on slowing down the White Water Buffalo. Allen is entering his fifth year of his rookie deal, with the extension kicking in next year, which means this is the best time to go all in and try to win a Super Bowl, before Allen commands a massive chunk of the salary cap. The offense is very good, but is still a piece away from becoming unstoppable. That piece should be the Cardinal’s DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins might not quite be the receiver he was a few years back on the Texans, but last year he was still very good averaging 79.7 yards per game, which would have put him on pace for 1,355 yards if he played the entire season. If the Bills bring in Hopkins to pair with Stephon Diggs they would immediately have one of the best wide receiver combos in the league, add in deep threat specialist Gabe Davis and slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie and the Bills might have the best wide out group in the league. 

The Cardinals have been heavily rumored to be shopping Hopkins, which checks out because frankly, last year was unimpressive, and not rebuilding at this time would make about as much sense as hiring Jeff Saturday to be a head coach in the middle of a season. They finished 4-13, on a seven game losing streak, and fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Plus they have younger receivers in Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore to build around. The problem is the Bills don’t have tons of cap space, so to get a player like Hopkins they would have to make room on their own team, which means trading a quality player like cornerback Tre’Davious White. They do have some younger players, including last years’ first round pick Kaiir Elam, at cornerback which makes White more replaceable. The Cardinals would then have to choose if they would want to keep him to shore up a leaky pass defense, which was bottom ten in the league, or flip their new veteran cornerback for more draft compensation. If they keep White, the Cardinals add to their draft pick arsenal, while moving a veteran from a position of strength (WR) to a position of need (CB). The Bill’s defense might take a slight step back, but offensively with DeAndre Hopkins, Stephon Diggs, and a little fella named Josh Allen, they could be dominant. It’s a bold move but one both teams could benefit from.