Way too early look at the NFL trade deadline: 10 candidates to move

The NFL trade deadline is still *checks calendar, then closes it because my laptop calendar doesn’t have the NFL trade deadline listed on it* a long way away, considering the NFL season itself isn’t here yet and also that it is currently June.

But hey, it’s never too early to wildly speculate about players who could be traded at the deadline, right? Right! Here’s 10 names that could theoretically be on the move between now and the deadline.

RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

This one is pretty obvious. The Arizona Cardinals drafted Jeremiyah Love and also are in a position where they have no real hope of making the playoffs in 2026. What’s the point of holding on to a running back like James Conner when there’s bound to be a contending team that could use him in its rotation?

Conner had a strong 2024 season, but a foot injury limited him to just three games in 2025. There’s no guarantee he returns from that close enough to his former self to really make an impact, which I’m sure was part of the thinking in drafting Love???though a larger part was probably just the fact that Love might have been the single-best prospect in this class, if you ignore positional value.

If Conner does look good upon his return, the Cardinals have zero reason to hold on to him. He’s on a one-year deal and almost certainly won’t be retained for 2027, and assuming the Cardinals are as bad as we expect they’ll be, there’s no reason to keep Conner around just to have him walk in the spring.

WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

After signing Wan’Dale Robinson and then using a first-round pick on Carnell Tate, the Tennessee Titans have sent a clear signal that Calvin Ridley’s time with the franchise is numbered. All the team really needs at this point is for one or Elic Ayomanor or Chimere Dike to prove that they can be a productive part of the receiver rotation, and then the team can start shopping Ridley around.

Rildey had over 1,000 yards in his first season with the Titans but played in just seven games in 2025, catching 17 passes for 303 yards. He’s also already 31 years old, a fact that honestly sounds hard to believe, but he was already an older prospect when he entered the NFL, and the end of his Falcons tenure that featured him stepping away from football in 2021 and then missing 2022 because of a gambling suspension has kind of warped time a bit when discussing Ridley. His best days are almost certainly behind him.

That’s not to say he can’t be productive in the right spot. There are a number of playoff contenders with holes at wide receiver, and if Ridley can prove he can still make an impact, there will be a team willing to take on his deal.

RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara was a trade-deadline candidate in 2025, but he expressed that he wouldn’t play anywhere but New Orleans and the Saints were kind of just forced to stick with him. But after signing his replacement in Travis Etienne, might the team be more willing to just push a deal through in 2026, even if Kamara still objects?

Once one of the NFL’s elite running backs, Kamara fell off last season, posting a career-low 4.0 yards per touch as well as his fewest yards per game. The days of Kamara turning routine plays into huge gains are behind us.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t be better in 2026 than he was in 2025, even if he never reaches his 2017-2021 level. If the Saints are relying heavily on Etienne and the team views Kamara as a luxury it doesn’t need at that point, moving on from him could make sense for both sides.

S Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals

As I already mentioned, the Arizona Cardinals will be bad in 2026, and the long-term vision here should be to make moves that increase the chance that the team can be respectable by, like…2028?

And, well…if that’s the case, there’s really no reason to hang on to 30-year-old safety Budda Baker. The eight-time Pro Bowler has been very, very good during his tenure in Arizona, but he’s going to be a free agent after the 2027 season. If you’re either side, do you want to sign a then-32-year-old Baker to one final big-money deal when he won’t fit the timeline for the Cardinals, and the Cardinals won’t fit the timeline for him, either?

Deal him this season, and the team acquiring him will have him under contract for 2027, plus whatever’s left of the 2026 season at the time of the deal. This is probably the last chance to get a real asset for Baker, and the Cardinals should take advantage of that rather than holding on to him and trying to do something with him next offseason.

CB Kristian Fulton, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs spent a first-round pick on Mansoor Delane and a fourth on Jadon Canady. They also have last year’s third-round pick Nohl Williams, who deserves a chance to be a full-time starter, and brought back veteran L’Jarius Sneed. They probably don’t need Kristian Fulton at this point.

Fulton is in the final year of his two-year contract with the Chiefs, and his first season with the team was…not great, as he ended up being a healthy scratch multiple times during the year. Not, uhh…what you want from one of your biggest offseason additions.

Now, with Fulton pushed deep down the depth chart, he’s looking at another year of healthy scratches. Whether he gets traded or not by the deadline feels like it will depend on whether another team expresses interest or if the Chiefs just decide to release him. I can’t imagine a world where they hold on to him if any team comes to them with any offer.

WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns

It wasn’t long ago that it appeared Jerry Jeudy was going to be a breakout star for the Cleveland Browns. After a so-so time in Denver, Jeudy arrived in Cleveland and immediately looked like a No. 1 receiver. Unfortunately for the Browns, his second year in town saw his numbers crash.

And if you’re wondering whether the Browns have faith in Jeudy bouncing back or not, look no farther than the team’s NFL Draft plan this year, as the Browns used a first on KC Concepcion and then a second on Denzel Boston. Drafting two wide receivers early sure suggests that the team isn’t happy with its receiving situation, right?

Add in that the Browns have zero hope of being good this season, which increases the chances that they deal away a veteran player. It’s possible that Cedric Tillman ends up being the receiver that they move, but Jeudy would likely garner a better return.

RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

This one is all about Jonathon Brooks’ health. Drafted in the second round in 2024, injuries have limited Brooks to three NFL games and nine total carries.

However, it sounds like Brooks is healthy at the moment, and if he can stay healthy, he’s a versatile weapon for the Carolina Panthers. Obviously, that depends on his explosiveness returning, but if that’s the case, he’s a three-down back who can make a major impact in Carolina.

Did I use the word if way too many times in that last paragraph? For sure. The case for Brooks to be a major player this season is tentative. But in the event that he does work out, Chuba Hubbard becomes expendable. He’s a grinder who would be a great add mid-season for a team that might lose its primary running back to injury.

WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills should give Keon Coleman a chance to prove he can be a productive member of this team in training camp and the preseason, but if things don’t improve by then, it will probably be time to shop him around.

Drafted in the second round in 2024, Coleman just hasn’t really managed to make an impact in Buffalo, and the addition of DJ Moore pushes him even deeper down the pecking order. Coleman will almost certainly not be a starter or on the field the majority of the time when the Bills run 11 personnel, so…why hold on to him?

There’s a perfect opportunity here to deal Coleman for a late-round pick to a team that has the luxury of being bad enough to take a chance here. If the Dolphins weren’t Buffalo’s division foes, I’d say that’d be a great landing spot, but there are other bad teams with need at wide receiver, like Arizona or Las Vegas.

WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers

With the Carolina Panthers extending Jalen Coker, the clock is officially ticking on Xavier Legette. If he wants to be part of the Panthers’ future, he has to show this season that he can do that, especially after the franchise used a third-round pick on Chris Brazzell II.

That Brazzell pick isn’t an instant warning sign that Legette’s departure from Carolina is imminent, but coupled with the Coker extension, it shows that the team doesn’t necessarily view Legette as a clear part of the team’s future. And why should they? His late breakout age in college was a huge red flag that Carolina ignored, and his relative lack of production over his first two seasons really introduces doubt into his long-term upside.

I mentioned in the last section for Keon Coleman that Miami would be a great landing spot except for the fact that the Bills might not want to trade with a fellow AFC East team. Well, the Panthers and Dolphins are in different conferences completely, so the Dolphins might want to be on the phone with Carolina about Legette.

DT Daron Payne, Washington Commanders

This one is probably dependent on how the Washington Commanders look in 2026. If the team is an NFC East contender, it will probably hold on to Daron Payne and address his future this offseason, but if things go south and quarterback Jayden Daniels either doesn’t return to form or gets injured again, all options should be on the table.

Payne is in the final season of a four-year, $90 million deal with the Commanders. He’s also coming off a 2025 season where he recorded just three sacks. He’s had single-digit quarterback hits in back-to-back years and just isn’t the same caliber player he was when he signed this extension.

Also worth noting here: the Commanders added Tim Settle and DJ Davidson in free agency. Maybe those guys are downgrades from Payne, but if you factor in the potential return for Payne, it’s probably a wash?

More NFL news and analysis: