The NFL trade deadline doesn’t have the ballyhoo around it that the MLB or NBA deadlines do, but it is very important for teams on both ends of the standings. Pseudo contenders are looking for a player that could be the difference between them making the playoffs, where anything could happen, and being in the dreadful no man’s land of mediocrity. For teams looking more towards 2016 than next week, it allows them to shed either an ill-fitting player or unwanted salary for more draft picks or potential future starters. Here are five players that could potentially be moved, and their potential destinations, by the November 3rd deadline, the day after this coming week’s Monday Night Football game.
MATT FORTE, RUNNING BACK (CHICAGO BEARS)
Contract Status: Between $6.6m and $7.7m based on appearance bonuses in 2015 (2016 FA)
Potential Destinations: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
The Bears are going nowhere this year and that was made no clearer than their “No, you guys can win.” performance against the Lions before their bye week. Forte is on the wrong side of 30 for an NFL running back, but has still been one of the, if not the only, bright spots in a Chicago offense (698 total yards, 3 total touchdowns) with zero direction. Forte’s cap number for the rest of this season is pretty big, especially for a rental, and can only go up with week to week roster bonuses kicking in for each game he plays in. That leaves the destination pool very shallow for his services. The two teams most likely to coming calling are vying for supremacy in the always tough to call NFC East.
Dallas has been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season and Jerry Jones is never shy to open up his massive checkbook or trade picks if he thinks it will put his team over the top. The season ending injury to Lance Dunbar and recent woes of Joseph Randle leave Darren McFadden the main man going forward. We all know too well about McFadden’s injury susceptibility. If Dallas can pry away Forte for a mid-round pick, that may help soften the load on a returning Dez Bryant and Tony Romo as they attempt a late season surge into the postseason.
The Giants aren’t in desperate need of a running back, but Forte could take their offense to another level. None of the trio of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, and Shane Vereen have cemented themselves as a sturdy #1 back this year. No matter how much this league has skewed to passing, having a dependable man to hand off to is supremely important. Forte would also provide Eli Manning with a safety valve in said passing game that he probably hasn’t had since Ahmad Bradshaw.
All in all, it will come down to which team sweetens the pot the most to get Forte. Chicago may not be asking for as high a price as people think, but nearly $4m for a man that could leave at season’s end could mean that Forte stays at Soldier Field after next Tuesday.
RODDY WHITE, WIDE RECEIVER (ATLANTA FALCONS)
Contract Status: $2.2m base in 2015, $2.75m in 2016, $3m in 2017
Potential Destinations: Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams
Roddy White is one of the most productive offensive players in Falcons’ history. However, in new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s system the 33 year old has been often deployed as a third or even fourth option (14 rec, 186 yards, 1 TD) behind Julio Jones, Leonard Hankerson, and Devonta Freeman out of the backfield. This doesn’t sit well with White and he has been unsettled almost from the get go even though the Falcons are winning. It may behoove the team to cut bait now instead of letting his disillusionment with his role get worse in a more crucial point of the season.
So much has been said about the lack of talent in the Carolina receiving corps this year. After Kelvin Benjamin went down in the preseason, the somehow undefeated Panthers have used a cavalcade of retreads and youngsters with mildly good results. White would instantly be the number one receiver there and would be familiar with his surroundings being from the Carolinas and staying in division. While the Falcons may not want to trade to a direct rival, if they get a second or third round pick back for White they would definitely have to consider it.
The Rams are another team in which White would come in and instantly make the receiving corps legitimate. St. Louis has had to get creative to get the ball in the hands of Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin this year, as both players are no longer able to go against a top cornerback. White would give Nick Foles a main target which would be of great help as they chase a Wild Card spot in the brutal NFC.
Atlanta doesn’t need to move White, but if they do it will be a sign of proactiveness that the team hasn’t displayed in the Arthur Blank ownership era.
VERNON DAVIS, TIGHT END (SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS)
Contract Status: $4.35m base in 2015 (2016 FA)
Potential Destinations: New York Jets, Oakland Raiders
Vernon Davis is in the final year of an uninspiring run following the 49ers splurging nearly $37m on the tight end in 2011. The stats aren’t there (12 catches, 170 yards, 0 TD) but the ability still is. A player of his ilk should be getting more than 4 targets a game, but Davis’ prickliness in the locker room and on the sidelines has probably got him deep in new coach Jim Tomsula’s dog house. A change of scenery could do him some good, but he will most likely be a rental as he chases one last long-term contract this offseason.
The Jets are surprising a lot of people with their play in the AFC East. They’ve disposed of the Bills and Jets already and gave the Patriots all they wanted last week in an eventual loss. One thing their offense lacks completely though is an impact tight end. They have just three receptions from the position all year, all from Jeff Cumberland who has been a backup for his entire tenure with the team until this season. Davis would give Ryan Fitzpatrick a weapon up the middle that would allow him to stay in the pocket longer instead of having to scramble as often as he currently does.
Another team defying preseason expectations which could use Davis is the team right across the bay (not so much anymore but play with me here), the Oakland Raiders. Derek Carr has done amazing things in his sophomore season but late in games teams are forcing him to throw to people other than Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Adding Davis to the mix would keep these teams honest in coverage. Let’s just hope if this move comes to fruition that the friction between Davis and Crabtree from their days as teammates is gone.
San Francisco has been very willing to part ways with older players in recent years. They should have no hesitation in doing the same with Davis even if they don’t get more than a fourth round pick for him.
STEVE SMITH SR., WIDE RECEIVER (BALTIMORE RAVENS)
Contract Status: $3m base in 2015, $3m base in 2016
Potential Destinations: Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks
Steve Smith is definitely the best performing player (41 rec, 588 yds, 3 TD) on this list. He’s also the oldest and has said on several occasions that he plans to retire after the 2015 season. So why would a team like Baltimore heading towards the basement of the AFC not see what they could get for Smith on the trade market? The feisty receiver would be a welcome addition to any team attempting to call themselves Super Bowl contenders.
The disintegration of Peyton Manning’s arm is happening before our very eyes. He’s done plenty good getting the ball to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders but not much to anybody else. Smith would provide that third amigo to Thomas and Sanders much in the way that Wes Welker had the past two seasons without the injury questions. Smith’s tenacity would be a welcome addition to a very intense locker room on both sides of the ball.
The Seahawks could also use a kick in the ass that Smith could provide. Seattle has been rolling on autopilot through their first seven games and it shows. While they have deep threats covered, Russell Wilson finds himself tucking and running even more than he would like to because the short options are limited. Smith would give Wilson that check down option with big play potential.
There are conflicting reports about whether or not Smith even wants to leave the Ravens. On one hand he says he’ll retire immediately if traded and in the next breath express his desire to make one last run at a Super Bowl. He isn’t getting to the promised land in Baltimore so if he doesn’t get moved before next Tuesday, he’ll only get one of his dichotomous wishes.
ROBERT GRIFFIN III, QUARTERBACK (WASHINGTON REDSKINS)
Contract Status: $3.3m in 2015, $16.2m in 2016
Potential Destinations: Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns
A trade for RGIII before the deadline would be the only move on this list with the future in mind rather than the present. Even then, there is a debate as to whether or not the former Rookie of the Year has a future in the league. Injuries have all but sapped the blazing start to his NFL career. With the Redskins already picking up his fifth year option for next season at $16.2 million, it is going to take a ballsy GM to pull the trigger on committing that much payroll to Griffin. It could also be his final chance to be a starter in the NFL, a statement that would have been viewed as blasphemy after his 2012 rookie year.
The Texans dumpster fire at the quarterback position has been well documented. This season has been especially bad with Brian Hoyer losing and regaining his job twice to a man who just got cut for missing a team flight. Griffin is a Texas kid and could easily be marketed to Texans fans who are in dire need of a competent quarterback to throw to DeAndre Hopkins and company. They would have to move some other pieces, Arian Foster maybe (?), to make the money work but it is an impact move that could potentially push the Texans to the top of the miserable AFC South again.
Speaking of quarterback calamities, enter the Cleveland Browns. Josh McCown has shown glimpses of brilliance this year but they have been wrapped around larger patches of putridness. Johnny Manziel can’t behave himself. Could Robert Griffin III be the answer? Probably not, but the organization has made trade deadline deals more often than most organizations who like to stand pat this early in the season. It would shock nobody if owner Jimmy Haslam pressured his front office to make a swap for the highly marketable RGIII in the burgeoning Cleveland market.
That $16.2m slap to the face is probably the only reason nobody has taken a flyer on resurrecting Griffin’s career thus far. It just takes someone who feels they have nothing left to lose to pull the trigger on such a game changer deal.