Which NFL players are the most interesting trade candidates?

Teams are loath to part with experienced offensive linemen, but with Sam Cosmi back after ACL rehab, the Commanders have three ex-starters as guard backups. They are unlikely to move second-year cog Brandon Coleman, leaving former Chiefs Allegretti and Wylie -- two players who do not appear to be in Washington's post-2025 plans -- as candidates to help another team. The team demoted both players this year. Wylie has tackle and guard experience, making the former Super Bowl starter more valuable, while Allegretti -- signed last year -- is a guard-only player. Will a sinking Washington team deal from a surplus at a position many teams need?

If the Ravens cannot turn their operation around soon, Andrews will absolutely become a trade candidate. At 1-5 exiting their bye, Baltimore is at the cliff's edge this season. The would-be Super Bowl contender has seen injuries and a poor-performing defense lead to this point, with Andrews collateral damage. Lamar Jackson's No. 1 target is in Year 8 and unsigned beyond 2025. A team would owe Andrews more than $3.5 million if acquired near the Nov. 4 trade deadline. While Andrews has three Pro Bowls on his resume, he has started slowly, averaging 8.3 yards per catch — by far the lowest career mark. This form would minimize the trade return for the 30-year-old tight end.

The Browns will assuredly want to help keep Dillon Gabriel upright, having traded away both other buffers between Shedeur Sanders and playing time, so moving both their longtime guards is unrealistic. But both Pro Bowlers are in contract years. Bitonio is 34; Teller will turn 31 next month. They profile as pure rentals, but Bitonio is a seven-time Pro Bowler and Teller a three-time honoree. Either desiring a move to a contender would warrant a discussion, as quality O-linemen are tough to acquire. Both trades would saddle the Browns with roughly $10 million in dead money, due to the team's penchant for void years, but cash-out time on at least one should be coming for the rebuilding team.

The Commanders traded both Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the 2023 deadline. With the Dolphins going nowhere and neither of their edge rushers due any guaranteed money beyond 2025, they need to consider disbanding the injury-prone duo while it's healthy. Chubb missed all of last season, Phillips most of it. Both are available now. The Dolphins are 1-6, but their HC-GM combo is on thin ice. Making the team worse may not be an option, either Mike McDaniel or Chris Grier wants. Ownership stepped in for the Commanders two years ago; will it take a call on that level here? Matt Judon also profiles as an OLB trade chip here; he wouldn't bring as much value.

A Raiders theme post-Rich Bisaccia: a new regime has not brought a turnaround. The Raiders added Pete Carroll, Geno Smith, and Chip Kelly, and appear worse off than when they were starting Aidan O'Connell at QB with an overmatched Antonio Pierce at the wheel. Crosby is Las Vegas' best player, and he would almost certainly bring back a first-round pick and then some. This is the star edge rusher's age-28 season, but when will the Raiders be ready to compete again? Their floor-raising hire of Carroll has sputtered. Will Tom Brady intervene and allow for the acceptance of a major offer for a player that the new staff recently extended?

A New Orleans mainstay, Davis has quietly become one of the best defenders in Saints history. The linebacker-rich franchise has benefited from Davis's versatility. The elite blitzer is in Year 8 as a Saint and is 36. More could be gained from his leadership than in a trade, perhaps. But if Davis seeks a path back to a contender, the Saints probably owe it to him to gauge the market. The off-ball linebacker, one of the last bastions from the Drew Brees era, is on a $6.5 million base salary and is unsigned for 2026. A contender in need of a proven ILB should take the temperature here. 

Not exactly a seller, the Texans still have a demoted starter who could help teams worse off on defense. Leading the NFL in scoring defense, Houston has used Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o as its linebacking regulars. This comes after Harris missed almost all of last season due to injury. Prior to that, the 2022 third-round pick started 23 games over his first two seasons. Healthy ahead of the deadline, Harris could be of better use elsewhere. Though, the Texans would be passing on quality depth by unloading him. As a team still (seemingly) hoping to contend, the Texans will be put to a decision with the contract-year LB.

The Jets extended Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, but left Hall's contract status uncertain in a contract year. The former second-round pick has reestablished himself as the team's clear-cut starter, but that team is winless. Draft picks will be more important for the Jets moving forward. The question they will need to answer is whether Hall merits a second contract. New York moving its four-year starting running back would signal the new regime will look elsewhere for a player to join Braelon Allen in 2026. Hall, meanwhile, would fetch a decent return as one of the top assets potentially available at this year's deadline.

The Bengals do not honor trade requests and rarely add talent via trade during the season. Famously having obtained just three players in trades during the past 53 years, Cincinnati is not known for helping other teams by selling assets. Thus, a Hendrickson trade should not be expected. But if the Bengals cannot sustain any Joe Flacco-generated momentum, offers will come in for the All-Pro. It would behoove the Bengals to listen, as they need low-cost assets to supplement their Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase-Tee Higgins offensive core. Hendrickson, 30, is in a contract year after a much-publicized standoff did not produce an extension. 

Like Hall, the Jets did not extend Johnson this offseason. One of many higher-profile players acquired by the team's previous regime, Johnson is in limbo for the winless Jets. The 2022 first-round pick, who rehabbed an Achilles tear this offseason, is signed through 2026 via the fifth-year option GM Joe Douglas picked up last year. Douglas' successor, Darren Mougey, now controls his fate. The fourth-year defensive end said he does not expect to be traded, but being controlled for another 1 1/2 seasons adds trade value. With Will McDonald under team control longer, the Jets have a decision to make on their No. 2 EDGE.

A fire sale may be on the way in Tennessee. The team has changed GMs twice since December 2022, and both Key and Jones are veteran stopgaps for a team set to bring in a new coaching staff in 2026. Key is in a contract year, while Jones is signed through 2026. If the Titans intend to keep their top trade chip (DT Jeffery Simmons) off the market, their edge rushers seem like move candidates on a bottom-tier team. Key (29) has produced for multiple teams, resurrecting his career with the 49ers, while Jones (28) -- who can play inside and outside -- is on team No. 3. 

One of the greatest players in Saints history, Jordan is in Year 15 with the team that once drafted him in the first round. The potential Hall of Famer is the Saints' all-time official (s/o Rickey Jackson) sack leader. Like Demario Davis, Jordan is 36 and tied to a rebuilding team (albeit one yet to really begin rebuilding). Jordan remains a starter, but the Saints changed defensive bosses for the first time in 10 years this offseason, potentially leaving Jordan as an expendable piece. A contender eyeing the 2.5-sack player as a rotational rusher would likely be willing to part with a Day 3 pick to find help at this premium position.

While New Orleans does not seem to appeal to NBA stars and has seen its NFL team slide into the NFL cellar, it has a fan in Kamara. The standout running back has threatened retirement to impede a trade. This hardline stance could take the 30-year-old running back off the market, and the Saints do need someone to carry the ball now that Kendre Miller is out for the season. But Kamara would be an interesting piece for contenders to vie for, being a nine-year starter who remains a versatile contributor. The dual-threat RB would upgrade a few contenders' situations. Will the aging back change his mind or remain intent on staying with a rebuilding team?

Meyers is in a contract year and, based on his past two seasons, is underpaid. Tied to a three-year, $33 million deal, the Raiders' nominal No. 1 receiver has let it be known he wants out. The Raiders have softened their stance here, after previously -- when they had delusions of 2025 relevance -- refusing to make this trade. Coming off a 1,000-yard season, Meyers also has four other 700-plus-yard years on his resume. Set to turn 29 next month, Meyers is not cheap in terms of salary; an acquiring team would take on roughly $6M -- unless the Raiders pay some of the freight. With Chris Olave and Jaylen Waddle less likely to move, the Meyers market could produce a decent return for Las Vegas.

The return would be unremarkable for a former No. 7 overall pick, but Neal has no future in New York. The Giants would be unlikely to collect a compensatory pick if/when Neal departs in free agency, so taking what they can get now makes sense. Big Blue slid Neal to guard this offseason, after he flamed out as the team's right tackle, but he has not played this year. Bubble-wrapped for the time being, Neal probably still has a few believers -- based on his prospect profile at Alabama -- around the league. A Giants team not using him will probably consider even a pick-swap deal before the deadline.

Trailing only Joel Bitonio for longevity among current Browns, Njoku is in the final season of a four-year, $54.75 million extension. The Browns have identified his successor in rookie Harold Fannin Jr., and are again lingering near the NFL's basement. A 2017 first-round pick, Njoku is still just 29. He has been on Cleveland's QB post-Baker Mayfield carousel and would likely benefit from a change of scenery, as a free agency trip is likely to await him come March. Seeing as these is the void year-obsessed Browns, Njoku's base salary is at the veteran minimum. That would make the inconsistent pass catcher more appealing in trades.

If the Saints did dangle Olave, he would be one of this deadline's top prizes. Back after a two-concussion season, the 2022 first-round pick has wound up in extension rumors. One of the many Ohio State-developed wide receivers in the game today, Olave (25) would make sense as a player for Spencer Rattler (or his to-be-determined successor) to target long-term. But a team with a messy payroll could add a nice haul by trading a player signed through 2026. If the Saints hold Olave, Shaheed would become a consolation prize. The 27-year-old deep threat is in a contract year and is on pace for a career-best receiving total. 

Simmons is a Jon Robinson draft choice tied to the four-year extension he signed during Ran Carthon's GM tenure. Both execs are no longer with the Titans. Although Tennessee is believed to be rebuffing interest in its top player, dealing the Pro Bowl defensive tackle could expedite its rebuild. Simmons is in his age-28 season and signed through 2027. The two-time All-Pro has 4.5 sacks in seven games and would bring back a much better haul compared to the players the Titans actually appear open to trading. While Simmons' contract is now team-friendly, the Titans have a big decision to make soon. 

If the Ravens do not turn things around fast, what use for a 34-year-old edge rusher do they have? Van Noy's contract expires at season's end, and although he is near the end of a solid career, the former Super Bowl-winning Patriot could be of use as a sidekick rush option on a contending team. The Ravens will certainly not make any seller's trades if they can recover before the deadline, but time is running out. Baltimore already traded one EDGE piece (Odafe Oweh), and replacement Tavius Robinson is out for the season. The team would be gutted at OLB with this move, but if it slips out of contention soon, Van Noy is not in its long-term equation.

Tyreek Hill's injury thrust Waddle back into the No. 1 receiver role he held in 2021, but the Dolphins are going nowhere. The post-Brian Flores part of Chris Grier's rebuild has skidded off track, and pink slips could be coming for the GM and Mike McDaniel. Waddle would be a lucrative trade chip, but the Dolphins' decision-makers -- absent assurances they will be around in 2026 -- do not have much incentive to make the current team worse. Miami extended Waddle as a top-tier WR2 ($28.25 million per year) in 2024, and he could certainly remain a long-term piece. But big offers could come in now for a team that cut costs this offseason.

Although the sky is falling in Florham Park, the Jets do have Quinnen Williams signed through 2027. He remains the front-seven centerpiece on a team sporting a still-talented defense. Winless now, the Jets could bounce back in 2026 with a better quarterback (Woody Johnson certainly concurs). That would make their defensive aces more valuable. Quincy Williams, Quinnen's older brother, is far more expendable. The former All-Pro and C.J. Mosley sidekick is a 2026 free agent who saw the Jets hand a $15 million-per-year contract to his less accomplished running mate (Jamien Sherwood) in March. 

Wilson has requested a trade. That action did not move the needle for Jonah Williams, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson or Germaine Pratt. The Bengals went about their business, declining the requests. Wilson, though, was a five-year starter in Lou Anarumo's defense. In Todd Golden's scheme, the Super Bowl LVI starter has seen his role reduced as two rookies have leapfrogged him. Signed through 2027 on a $9 million-per-year deal, Wilson would have value as an experienced starter. If the Bengals do move on, don't expect them to do any favors and pick up any part of Wilson's $5.4M 2025 salary. The Bengals do not do that sort of thing.

Jaxson Dart is the present and future, and Jameis Winston is on a two-year deal. Wilson no longer fits here. The potential Hall of Famer -- though that debate figures to be Eli Manning-level complicated -- will turn 37 next month and played poorly in two of the three games he started this year. But he did help the Steelers to the playoffs last year and recovered from his disastrous Broncos debut with a 2023 improvement (before coach-turned-nemesis Sean Payton benched him). Wilson is only on a $2.5 million base salary, making a trade easy to complete for a Giants team that can simply bump Winston up the depth chart.

Woolen flashed brightly in Pete Carroll's scheme, turning in a quality rookie year. The size-speed standout, though, has emerged as a player the Seahawks are willing to move. In a contract year, the former fourth-round find has not been a fit in Mike Macdonald's scheme and is highly unlikely to be extended before hitting free agency. Woolen has started 52 of the 54 games he has played and would fit elsewhere -- the CB-desperate Raiders make clear sense -- but the Seahawks have suffered some injuries at the position recently. Will they deal an experienced player off a top-tier defense now?