5 realistic blockbuster trades we want to see before the NFL deadline

The NFL trade deadline is mere weeks away on Oct. 31, and the rumor mill is heating up. Let's cook up some blockbuster deals that could actually happen.

Saquon Barkley ➡️ Rams

*Giants receive a 2025 third-round pick if Rams make the postseason this year or if Barkley re-signs with the Rams before the 2024 season. If both conditions fail, Giants receive a 2025 5th-rounder.

Matthew Stafford is 35. Aaron Donald is 32. Both future Hall of Famers seemingly flirted with retirement last year before recommitting to the Rams for another - maybe one final - Super Bowl push. The Rams have surprised many by looking like legitimate contenders, especially now that Cooper Kupp is back healthy and running alongside leading Rookie of the Year candidate Puka Nacua in the wideout corps.

Kyren Williams has dominated snaps in the Rams' backfield since Cam Akers was shipped out of town, and on the surface, the second-year tailback has performed above expectations. But a deeper look reveals that an unsustainably enormous volume of work is boosting Williams' stats, and his efficiency numbers leave a lot to be desired. Through five weeks, Williams has played more snaps than any other running back in the league and ranks second-last in rush yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats. The Rams must find a way to spell Williams, if not return him to a backup role.

The Rams acquired Odell Beckham Jr. as a half-year rental during their 2021 run to the Super Bowl, and the veteran wideout was a crucial part of their success. Adding a talent like Barkley could similarly boost this current edition of Sean McVay's squad.

But wait, you say, the Rams have made so many all-in trades in recent years that surely they have no bargaining chips left to offer. Not true, actually. The Rams currently own most of their 2024 draft picks. As a general manager who hasn't selected in the first round since taking Jared Goff in 2016, Les Snead must feel these picks burning a hole in his pocket.

A Barkley rental would probably come at a reasonable price, too.

At 1-4, the Giants' playoff hopes are essentially dead. So, too, is the idea that Barkley will factor into this team's future. It's reasonable to assume Barkley's not on the best terms with a franchise that refused to sign him long term this past offseason, instead slapping him with the franchise tag while it prioritized locking up Daniel Jones. (Yikes.)

If the G-Men bristled at the idea of signing Barkley long term before, why would they come off that stance now that he's a year older and has another multi-week leg injury on his medical record? Using the franchise tag on Barkley again isn't tenable, either. Barkley briefly held out over the summer under the tag but ultimately showed up when the Giants added incentives to his deal. He then watched as Jonathan Taylor got paid by effectively holding out into the season. If tagged again, it's reasonable to assume Barkley will employ a more aggressive holdout strategy. The Giants should get what they can for him before losing him for nothing.

The incentives in Barkley's contract require him to make the playoffs to get paid. It should shock no one if he's already angling for a trade to a contender behind closed doors.

Mike Evans ➡️ Chiefs

Travis Kelce is 34 years old and finally breaking down. A hyperextended knee suffered in the Chiefs' final summer practice and a low-ankle sprain suffered in Week 5 have forced Taylor Swift's rumored romantic partner to gut it out. Kelce hasn't been bad, but he also hasn't looked like his usual self. The Chiefs should be concerned about his availability later in the season. Father Time always wins.

If the Chiefs don't seem particularly worried about Kelce, it could be because all of their concern is being spent on looking at their receiving depth chart. It's not good. Skyy Moore's considerable training camp buzz has fizzled into just nine catches in five games. Coaches don't trust Kadarius Toney to play more than a handful of snaps. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is good for clearing out safeties a few times a game and that's about it. Rookie Rashee Rice looks promising, but he probably can't shoulder the load here. You know things are bad when some Chiefs fans are pining for JuJu Smith-Schuster's return.

Mike Evans is barely on the wrong side of 30, but he's still a beast. The nine-time 1,000-yard receiver can be the red-zone target Kelce is at his best while simultaneously adding some of the downfield juice the Chiefs have been lacking since Tyreek Hill's departure. And Evans can solidify his Hall of Fame credentials with a second Super Bowl title.

So why would the 3-1 and NFC South-leading Buccaneers entertain the idea of trading away a franchise legend like Evans? Because they are realists.

This is a transition year in Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield is the quarterback, not Tom Brady. Mayfield is not taking this team to the Super Bowl. You know this. The Buccaneers know this.

The Bucs have balked at extending the pending free agent's contract because they know they are on the verge of a total rebuild. Getting what they can for Evans now - and sending him somewhere he can chase another ring as a rental - is the right thing to do.

Kirk Cousins ➡️ Jets

*Vikings receive a 2025 second-round pick if Jets make the postseason this year and Cousins plays at least 50% of remaining offensive snaps. If either condition fails to hit, Vikings receive a 2025 third-round pick.

The Vikings are 1-4 and Justin Jefferson's on IR - and reportedly in no rush to hurry back to the field since he didn't get the contract extension he sought before the season. It's time to rebuild.

The Vikings know this. In actuality, it appears they've known for a while, and the rebuild probably started with the release of longtime stars Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook in the offseason.

It's clear Kirk Cousins won't be back in Minnesota next season, and every game he starts for the Vikings moving forward could push the team further from Caleb Williams range in the 2024 draft. Even if the return is underwhelming, the prudent move for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is to ship Cousins out of town as soon as possible.

The Jets calculated they have a Super Bowl-caliber roster on offense and defense when they made an all-in push to acquire Aaron Rodgers in April. Obviously, it didn't work out. But the equation remains the same, and every snap Zach Wilson takes wastes the potential of this roster. More importantly, by continuing to play the woefully incompetent Wilson, the Jets risk mutiny in the locker room.

Cousins is no Rodgers, and he probably can't take any team all the way to the Super Bowl, but he can play caretaker well enough to give the Jets a legitimate shot at postseason play. Maybe Rodgers will be back on the field by then. He certainly seems to think so.

While it will hurt Gang Green to trade even more draft capital for a second veteran quarterback, it eases the pain knowing the Jets get to keep their first-round pick in 2024 because Rodgers didn't hit the 65% snap threshold. (The Jets will instead send their second-round pick to Green Bay.)

Derrick Henry ➡️ Browns

Once the engine that propelled the Titans' entire offense, Derrick Henry has seen his role with the team greatly diminish this season. Henry's been out-snapped by rookie tailback Tyjae Spears in three of five games and saw his share of the team's running back rushes fall to a season low in Week 5.

The writing is on the wall, and the Titans aren't trying to hide it. They are transitioning to a post-Henry future. Sitting at the bottom of the AFC South through five weeks, it would be prudent to get whatever they can for the 29-year-old former 2,000-yard rusher, among others. (Quarterback Ryan Tannehill should be shopped aggressively, too, but it will be hard to find any takers.)

Enter the Browns, who lost starter Nick Chubb to a gruesome knee injury in Week 2 and whose front office and coaching staff know their jobs are on the line this year. Deshaun Watson appears unable to recapture the dynamism he displayed on the field early in his career, and the one-two punch of Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt isn't scaring anyone. This offense needs an injection of identity.

The Browns aren't in a position to take on much salary, instead needing to roll over all the space they can to help mitigate next season's cap constraints, but the right package could entice the Titans to absorb almost all of the prorated $10.5 million still owed to Henry.

The two-time rushing champ isn't the unstoppable force he once was, but he can add physicality and personality to an offense sorely lacking both. It's hard to imagine a player better suited for December football on the icy shores of Lake Erie.

Brian Burns ➡️ Lions
Jameson Williams ➡️ Panthers

A player-for-player swap!

Brian Burns has been on the trade block for a while, with the Panthers reportedly turning down some very enticing offers for the Pro Bowl pass-rusher prior to last year's deadline.

Burns "held in" at Panthers training camp this summer in search of a new contract, but none came as the two sides were reportedly never close. If the Panthers were unwilling to pay Burns before, there's no reason for them to change that stance now. Through five weeks of play, it's clear this roster is nowhere near contending. Flipping Burns for picks to accelerate the rebuild to a team in win-now mode makes more sense than ever.

But why not kill two birds with one stone? The Panthers are reportedly seeking a wideout to aid in Bryce Young's slower-than-expected (to put it nicely) development, and there just so happens to be a former Alabama teammate of Young on the outs in Detroit.

Once considered by many to be the best receiving prospect in the 2022 draft class, Jameson Williams' NFL experience has been a trainwreck. The speedster missed the first 11 games of his rookie season recovering from an ACL tear, then made just one catch over the six contests he played. Hopes of a second-year leap for Williams were largely dashed when he got a six-game suspension for gambling (later reduced to four games) and missed key training camp and preseason snaps with a leg injury. In the little he played, Williams struggled to catch the ball. And in his 2023 debut last weekend, Williams slotted behind Marvin Jones and Kalif Raymond on the depth chart.

The Lions say they still believe in the potential of their former 12th overall pick, but the opportunity to flip him for a high-motor edge terror like Burns could be too enticing for Dan Campbell and Co. to pass up. Opposite Aidan Hutchinson, Burns would give the Lions the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL.

Detroit would probably have to sweeten the pot a little to lock down this deal but does have an extra third-round pick in 2024 to play with.