The NFL trade deadline is still six weeks away, set to expire at 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 10. But the early season trade of quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings to New York Giants, and the swap of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Dallas Cowboys were the latest reminder that we’re in an era when general managers, coaches and personnel execs tend to be more enterprising about executing deals — whether to improve their rosters in the short or long term — and are more willing to part with precious capital in order to pry a targeted player loose.
Last year, the New York Jets unloaded two of their rare star players, cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams at the deadline and recouped three first-round picks and a second-rounder. In 2022, there were a record 10 deals on deadline day alone.
In recent years, premier players like wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Christian McCaffrey have been moved weeks ahead of the deadline. And, heck, it’s only been four months since the Los Angeles Rams acquired defensive end Myles Garrett, arguably the league’s most dominant player when he’s healthy, from the Cleveland Browns.
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As the calendar flips to October, further moves are coming — bank on that. What we don’t know is what additional injuries will arise that might necessitate the next major move. It’s also currently unclear which GMs will shift into sell mode given the wide array of outcomes that could materialize over the next six weeks — when, perhaps, the Las Vegas Raiders might tail off and then consider trading quarterback Kirk Cousins or receiver Tre Tucker, for example.
The Seattle Seahawks might have to scuttle their season for all we know … on Sept. 30. Furthermore, this could be a year when normally aggressive teams might think twice and/or teams willing to move players might have to lower their asking price or defer compensation. Why? Because there’s likely to be a pervasive reluctance to surrender high-end draft assets ahead of what’s anticipated to be a bumper crop of incoming college players in 2027.
Don’t forget, the Philadelphia Eagles wound up accepting a 2028 first-rounder from the New England Patriots in June to consummate the deal for WR A.J. Brown. And the Steelers' primary return for Porter on Wednesday was a second-rounder … also in 2028.
But while the transactional calculus could be different in 2026, you can bet that Porter and McCarthy will only represent the first of many moves.
Here are 12 players who could (and should?) be on teams’ acquisitional radars in the coming weeks:
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens reacts against the Washington Commanders during the second half at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 20 in Arlington, Texas.
WR George Pickens
This is probably going to be a difficult year to find a legitimate impact player midstream. But, if the Dallas Cowboys’ season suddenly goes seriously south − as it did for at least one day in the Southern Hemisphere − Pickens, 25, is that kind of wild card. He had 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine TDs last season, but Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to lock him into a long-term deal. So, if the situation in Dallas devolves to the point when it becomes time to look toward 2027, Pickens could certainly bring a nifty return to an organization − one that clearly signaled it only wanted him on the franchise tag this year − while helping another that might feel like it’s one player away … without forcing it to commit to a sometimes volatile character beyond 2026.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
It’s not working right now for the Arizona Cardinals and the fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft. Harrison, 24, is currently no better than the fifth option on this offense, collecting just four catches (on nine targets) through three weeks. And the three-year, $75 million extension recently signed by Michael Wilson was a clear signal that the franchise considers him their WR1 — the stats previously suggesting as much in 2025. Certainly several teams would likely find MHJ’s talent tantalizing given how highly regarded he was going into the ’24 draft, not to mention his Hall of Fame bloodlines. The question is, what can Arizona currently get in return for a player at such a low ebb.
OLB Josh Sweat
He can set an edge effectively and hunt passers, whether deployed in three- or four-man fronts. Sweat, 29, made a case to be the MVP of Super Bowl 60 for the Eagles after collecting 2 1/2 sacks of Patrick Mahomes in Philly’s blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder is now in the second season of a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the struggling Cardinals but has no guaranteed money beyond this season. He could be the final piece for a team looking to put a cherry on top of a championship-caliber (or championship-adjacent) defense.
OLB Khalil Mack
Even at 35, the nine-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Player of the Year remains a force in this league with the Los Angeles Chargers — one who’s in the year-to-year portion of his career, unsigned for 2027. And given his age, he might not cost as much to obtain as a player like Sweat — particularly for a team that might merely be all in for the short run only.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt takes the field against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 13 in Pittsburgh.
OLB T.J. Watt
No way, you say? Yes, admittedly, exporting a face of the franchise in the middle of a season — and effectively waving the white flag — would be far from a typical Pittsburgh Steelers move. But walk with me here (we're now Payton Tolle fans, too). Watt will turn 32 on Oct. 11. Pittsburgh has already extended Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, both much younger pass rushers than Watt. Porter just got sent packing. And, if the Steelers fall off the playoff pace – or even if they don’t – they need to have an eye on 2027 and the likelihood that it could be rebuild territory or, at the very least, the right time to target the young franchise quarterback they’ve been unable to obtain since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Moving a player of Watt’s caliber and the return he would command could be the best chip GM Omar Khan has if he opts to accrue draft capital in 2027. Such a move would also provide Khan cap relief given Watt's $32 million base salary, both this year and next, is guaranteed.
RB Tony Pollard
Now in his walk year in Nashville — and a time when the Tennessee Titans clearly aren’t going anywhere — he’s working on a fifth straight season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and has averaged 42 receptions over the previous four years. A pretty good dual threat and one only owed the prorated amount of his $6.7 million base salary this season.
Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, left, reacts after a stop on downs during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 27 in Indianapolis.
DT DeForest Buckner
The 32-year-old remains one of the league’s premier interior defensive disruptors. He’s also headed for free agency in 2027 and plays for a team light on draft assets next year in the wake of the 2025 trade for Gardner. And if the Indianapolis Colts go down the tubes and are compelled to clean house early?
WR Jerry Jeudy
He signed a three-year, $52.5 million extension two years ago and responded with his first Pro Bowl season in 2024. But Jeudy’s production essentially fell by 50% in 2025 (50 catches, 602 yards, 2 TDs) amid Cleveland's unsettled QB situation, and he’s only caught two of five targets so far this year — when the Browns also chose wideouts in the first (KC Concepcion Jr.) and second (Denzel Boston) rounds of the draft. A change of scenery could make sense and moving Jeudy, 27, shouldn’t be especially difficult given he has no guaranteed money beyond this year.
WR Chris Godwin
The veteran receiver, whose contract comes with an unusual team option for 2027, could be optimal for a team seeking depth or a WR2 down the stretch — think the San Francisco 49ers, for example, where a reunion with Mike Evans might also make sense given the injury issues that team is currently facing. And in light of the present circumstances for the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have a young group of receivers on the way up anyway? Just sayin’.
DL Vita Vea
He's another player, one who’s 31 and got a Band-Aid addendum to his contract as opposed to a lengthy extension after a summer standoff, who could make a much bigger impact for another team than he probably will for the winless Bucs this year.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew II warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sept. 27 in Santa Clara, Calif.
QB Gardner Minshew II
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Kinda the same guys in some respects: experienced starters with Pro Bowl bona fides but currently in backup roles and on one-year pacts for teams that will very likely be targeting a new quarterback in next year's draft. Either could be an ideal alternative for a team that might suddenly find itself in a quarterback crisis, though one that only requires an experienced hand to steady a ship for a month or so. And if McCarthy, a former first-round pick with upside, only fetched a fifth-rounder, the price would theoretically be more than right for Minshew or Tagovailoa.
As some of the marquee 2027 NFL Draft prospects have faltered in the first month of the season, other players have capitalized on the opportunity to raise their profile.
