A look at five possible targets to be transferred before next November 5
DeAndre Hopkins passed in exchange for the Tennessee Titans a Kansas City Chiefsjoining the high-profile transfers of Davante Adamsof Las Vegas Raiders a New York Jetsy Amari Cooper, de Cleveland Browns a Buffalo Billsfrom the previous week.
But, The deadline for exchanges is until November 5so there are still, potentially, many exchanges to be made.
If I were a GM — and my team was currently 0-7 — these are the names I’d be inquiring about with just two weeks left until the trade deadline, even if it doesn’t seem likely they could be traded.
Myles Garrett, ala defensiva, Cleveland Browns
You don’t know until you ask, right? Sports Illustrated reported that teams have called about Garrett, and I would too. Garrett is one of 10, maybe 12 defensive players who can single-handedly win a Super Bowl with his ability to break up the game, and on that list, he’s first in terms of odds to do so. What is the problem? The Browns have completely restructured Garrett’s contract, converting his base salary into bonuses that provided short-term cap relief (as if it did them any good). It is cheaper for the Browns in 2025 to have Garrett on the roster than not to have him. And, with the Browns trying to assimilate the impact of dead money against Amari Cooper’s cap — and perhaps needing to do the same with Deshaun Watson— I can’t see them trading away Garrett’s contract to make his short-term salary outlook even more dire. That said, if I were Lions general manager Brad Holmes, I would be willing to offer several first-round picks and several second-round picks to get the deal done.
A first-round pick in the 2022 draft, Olave has been excellent for the Saints throughout his career. That means two things: They’re not going to want to trade him, but he’s also going to ask for $28 million a year more or less in a year or two. The Saints should and would be happy to pay Olave that money, but they have a very unhealthy future cap hit and no prospect of competing long-term. A new group of coaches will likely arrive at the complex next offseason, and a long-term rebuild will inevitably take place. Are they going to want to pay a lot of money to Olave in his prime, when they have no prospect of competing? Olave would immediately be the best wide receiver on the market, better than Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk and maybe even Tee Higgins (although that depends on the function you assign to it). Olave has over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his full seasons, and has 280 entering 2024. Teams should feel good about offering multiple second-round picks to the Saints for Olave.
Bourne is far from a flashy name, but I’ll always love a receiver with good size, good hands, good blocking, and good route running. He’s not superlative in any area, but as a do-it-all No. 3 receiver, he could be much, much worse. Bourne fell out of favor in New England as he endured some bad blitzes and poor quarterback plays, and the pecking order in the Patriots’ current receiving group seems to change every week. The 49ers, who know Bourne well, should consider adding him as a veteran insurance given Bourne’s torn ACL and right MCL. Brandon Aiyuk. The Lions, who are doing well with Tim Patrick as their No. 3 receiver, they should also consider Bourne an upgrade. I also like him for the Ravens. All contending teams could use a stable player like Bourne.
C.J. Mosley, linebacker, New York Jets
Mosley missed three weeks with a toe injury earlier this season, but was available for the final two games. However, he appears to have ceded his starting role to Jamien Sherwoodas Mosley played nine snaps against the Bills and 22 against the Steelers. Mosley is 32 years old, was never the quickest on his feet and should be limited to a sub-staffing role wherever he goes. But for those teams whose linebackers are currently struggling to get down and stop the run (49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys), Mosley could land a valuable role. And while the Jets are probably still going for him (for some reason), less liability for Mosley means they shouldn’t feel too bad about sending away an asset for future draft capital. It would be something new for New York!
I’d make the call, but if the Giants actually trade Lawrence, they’re crazy.
