Wide receivers are a big topic of discussion as of late. The next crop of young talent at the position will soon hear their names called and should all be set to enjoy lengthy careers. But for the incumbent talents in the NFL, there may be further movement in their ranks before next Thursday’s NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans completed their substantial early offseason by completing their trade for Stefon Diggs earlier this month. According to some, they may have begun a trend.
Are More Wide Receiver Trades Coming?
The Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora has suggested that there may be more movement at the position to come yet. Multiple GMs have reported to La Canfora that Nick Caserio’s plans for the Texans had definitely not gone unnoticed:
“More of them will go,” one GM told La Canfora. “…Would you rather do what [Texans GM Nick Caserio] just did or try to outbid bad teams with more cap space than they know how to burn to try to get [an unrestricted free agent]? That’s kind of Econ 101, isn’t it?”
Which Wide Receivers Could Be On The Move?
At present, up to a half-dozen players at the position may be shipped before the conclusion of the NFL Draft next weekend. Courtland Sutton is one, as since Russell Wilson’s release, Denver may be seeking to make more moves to lean into a potential rebuild with a young quarterback. D.K. Metcalf is in a similar situation to Sutton, as the Seahawks might also seek to rebuild with a new Head Coach–former Michigan and Ravens Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Davante Adams, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins may be as big of trade targets as their peers at the Wide Receiver position. Adams has already rejected such ideas, suggesting he would rather stay in Las Vegas. Higgins has also suggested he’d rather stay in Cincinnati.
Aiyuk, on the other hand, unfollowed the 49ers across social media and was already the subject of a potential trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars that never materialized. Rumblings that the disgruntled 49ers star asked to be traded were also largely unfounded.
In Conclusion
Recall that similar shuffling at the wide receiver position unfolded in the 2022 offseason, headlined by A.J. Brown being traded to the Eagles on draft night. Adams’s trade to his current employers in the Raiders also unfolded that same offseason, while Tyreek Hill made his move to join the Miami Dolphins. So far in 2024, Keenan Allen joined Diggs when it comes to movements by wide receivers, when he was traded to the Bears for a fourth-round selection.
It remains to be seen just how many of these players will be moved by next Sunday, but the Houston Texans, by way of boosting their Super Bowl odds tremendously, have potentially jumpstarted a new wave of Wide Receiver trades.
Which shoe drops first will be a topic of discussion in the run-up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
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