NFL Rumors: Trade Outlook on Matt Forte, Vernon Davis and Colin Kaepernick

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, but it'd be OK if you were completely clueless to this fact. Unlike the deadlines of the other three major professional sports, the NFL's usually comes and goes with a whimper.

Blockbuster deals have become more prevalent in recent years, yet those are usually confined to the offseason and are still a bit of an anomaly. Whereas the likes of David Price, Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels were on the move at the baseball deadline, NFL fans will be thankful to see players other than reserve linebackers on the trading block.

Luckily, it seems at least a couple of high-profile names are being bandied about. By no means does this mean they'll actually get traded, but the rumor mill is hot enough to at least give the impression that something interesting will happen.

With that in mind, here's a look at a few notables whose names are making the rounds.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

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Forte's name is not new to the rumor mill. The Bears' 0-3 start thrust the veteran running back's name to the forefront of trade talks, though it appears we're not any closer to a deal now than we were a month ago.

"It's clear this is a rebuilding year for the Bears with a new regime," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com. "They are open, I am told, to trading really a lot of their key parts, mainly because they would like draft picks. At this point nothing is expected from Forte, because of his age, because of his salary."

What makes Forte's situation strange is that salary really shouldn't be much of an issue. He's a free agent after the season. At most, his next team will be paying a prorated slice of his $7.5 million base salary, which is $3.75 million for eight game checks. That's a little steep for a running back—especially given our knowledge about the position's fungibility—but not a beyond-reproach price for an effective rental.

Forte is on pace for his fourth straight 1,000-yard rushing season and established himself as one of the league's best pass-catchers out of the backfield in 2013 and 2014 under Marc Trestman. Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase doesn't utilize running backs as heavily, but Forte's showing no signs of slowing up as he approaches his 30th birthday.

It also makes little sense for the Bears to hold out for a massive draft-pick package for Forte. They're not bringing him back in 2016. This is a franchise in need of a roster overhaul, and signing a 30-year-old running back to a long-term contract would be nonsensical. If a team is offering a fourth- or fifth-round pick in exchange for Forte, Chicago should jump and not look back.

It's a little strange that nothing has come of this situation yet.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

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Speaking of strange, Vernon Davis' descent to irrelevance remains baffling. After matching his career best with 13 touchdowns and posting his fifth season with at least 50 receptions in 2013, Davis has become a complete non-factor in the 49ers passing game. He managed only 26 grabs in 14 games last season and has only posted a dozen this year during San Francisco's 2-5 start.

Colin Kaepernick's struggles have been well-documented, but this issue seems to run deeper. A player doesn't go from a favorite target to totally shut out without something going on. He's missed two games this season with a lingering knee injury, yet that doesn't explain why he's barely being looked at when he's 100 percent.

Either way, it's fueled rumors saying Davis could be a trade deadline casualty. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that teams believe "as if [Davis] could be had."

"You have to understand, after all of this, it's a business," said Davis, per CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco. "I have no intention of going anywhere. But sometimes things happen and you just have to be prepared for it. I think anyone would be upset."

Like the Bears, the 49ers are likely in need of massive roster changes and should consider any trade that nets them draft picks for a veteran. Davis is, essentially, a $4.4 million wax figure at this point. He'll hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason, at which point the team will lose him for nothing. Even if it's something as piddly as a conditional late-round pick, that's a better alternative than holding onto him for no apparent reason.

The change of scenery might also do Davis some good. At this point, he'd be lucky to find a team willing to guarantee him a starting job next year in free agency. The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately?" industry, and Davis' answer at this juncture is "not all that much."

Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

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We can probably rule out a midseason Kaepernick trade right now. The 49ers are still publicly committed to their embattled quarterback, and his trade value is currently at its nadir amid a lost 2015 campaign. Kaepernick is on pace to throw just 14 touchdown passes, is tied for second in sacks taken and hasn't exactly engendered confidence from teammates.

"His confidence is completely shot," Jay Glazer of Fox Sports wrote. "It's not that (the players) don't like him. But he's just alone, on an island in that locker room. There's not a lot of people he connects with. Confidence-wise he's just buried right now."

Cue former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell calling for the Eagles to bring in Kaepernick and end the Sam Bradford experiment, per James Parks of 247Sports:

"

One thing is clear: Sam Bradford is not, in my judgement, the quarterback of the future for the Eagles. What I would like to see us get at the end of the year, I’m told that San Francisco is going to be looking to trade Kaepernick and I think in Chip Kelly’s system, Kaepernick could be the perfect quarterback because he can run.

"

Whether Rendell has a point or not is a topic worth examining at another time. But one thing should be abundantly clear: Kaepernick will not be on the move Tuesday, regardless of how his teammates feel. The 49ers have every incentive to spend the rest of 2015 trying to turn this around. If they do, maybe Kaepernick's their franchise quarterback. Or, perhaps, he becomes a suddenly valuable trade commodity.

If Kaepernick continues to struggle, though, it might not be a trade that sends him packing. It might be his outright release.