2023 NFL Offseason Trade Ideas to Create the Next Super Bowl Contender
The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, in no small part, because of the trade that brought A.J. Brown into their offense last season.
The deal that added C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their secondary didn't hurt either.
Brown's presence has allowed Jalen Hurts to take his next step as a passer while freeing up DeVonta Smith to progress into the dynamic playmaker the Eagles knew he could be. The result is an offense on the precipice of a championship.
The NFL is a copycat league. General manager Howie Roseman's ability to put the finishing touches on an NFC championship roster is likely to cause others to try to follow in those footsteps.
These proposed trades have the potential to help their teams make the leap to Super Bowl contenders.
Atlanta Falcons Trade for QB Lamar Jackson
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Ravens Receive: 2023 first-round pick (No. 8 overall), 2023 fourth-round pick (No. 114 overall), 2024 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, QB Desmond Ridder
Falcons Receive: QB Lamar Jackson, 2025 sixth-round pick
The Lamar Jackson contract situation in Baltimore is going to be one of the most fascinating storylines of the 2023 offseason.
The Ravens could place the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. It would buy them one more year to come to terms on a long-term agreement with their quarterback.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported this month that the two sides "could possibly be $100 million apart" on a new contract. Whatever the actual figure is, the point remains the quarterback and the team that drafted him could have a long way to go in figuring out a deal.
Whether Jackson would play on the franchise tag is an interesting subplot. He dealt with injuries that cost him stretches of the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Fowler also noted "trade calls are coming."
The haul would have to be massive for the Ravens to even consider dealing their 26-year-old franchise quarterback. The framework for this hypothetical is similar to the deal that sent Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, with the exception that the Falcons would send Desmond Ridder to Baltimore instead of a couple of the Round 4 picks.
The Falcons would instantly become a dangerous team with Jackson at the helm. Even with a combination of Ridder and Mariota under center, head coach Arthur Smith engineered an offense that was 15th in scoring and second in rushing in 2022.
Imagine what he could do with a dynamic talent like Jackson at his disposal.
Cleveland Browns Trade for WR Brandin Cooks
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Texans Receive: 2023 third-round pick (No. 99 overall), 2024 third-round pick
Browns Receiver: WR Brandin Cooks
The Cleveland Browns are all-in on Deshaun Watson. They gave up six draft picks, including three first-rounders, to hand him a $230 million guaranteed contract last March.
Now they have to make sure that he has everything he needs to be successful.
Most of the elements already appear to be there. The Browns have a talented offensive line led by Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. They have a workhorse back in Nick Chubb who is capable of drawing defenders. And Amari Cooper is posting WR1 numbers on the outside.
Still, Watson's first action with the Browns fell flat.
At the start of the season, he served an 11-game suspension after the NFL found he violated its personal-conduct policy. Twenty-five women filed lawsuits against Watson alleging sexual assault or misconduct during massage therapy sessions. One lawsuit was dropped because the woman didn't want her name added to the filing, while Watson reached settlements with 23 of the other women.
He played in six games, going 3-3 as the starter and completing just 58.2 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns to five interceptions.
Some of that can be chalked up to Watson getting reacquainted with the speed of the game and learning the Browns offense. But the offense could use some upgrades.
Bringing in a legitimate No. 2 receiver who could push Donovan Peoples-Jones to the No. 3 role would be ideal.
Brandin Cooks is a perfect fit. He has an established rapport with Watson. The last time they played together was in 2020, and Cooks posted 1,150 yards and six touchdowns on 81 receptions.
His ability to take the top off defenses fits well with Chubb's hard-nosed running style and Cooper's precise route running.
Detroit Lions Trade for Edge Josh Allen
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Jaguars Receive: 2023 first-round pick (No. 18 overall)
Lions Receive: Edge Josh Allen
The Detroit Lions might not be as far from contending as one would think. The franchise hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016, but it took a major step forward by going 9-8 in 2022.
The problem was Detroit had a defense that wasn't capable of supporting a good offense. Backed by one of the best running games in the league, Jared Goff recaptured his Pro Bowl form from 2017 and 2018.
Yet, time and time again, the defense let the team down. The unit finished 28th in points allowed and gave up 392.4 yards per contest, the most in the NFL.
No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson is going to help. He notched 9.5 sacks in his first NFL season in 2022, but pairing him with another young pass-rusher could be key.
Much like A.J. Brown last season before his extension with Philadelphia, Josh Allen is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That means he's going to be due a big extension the Jags might not be willing to pay after their free-agency spending spree last offseason.
Allen was seventh in the league in total pressures, finishing 2022 with seven sacks, 15 hurries and 18 knockdowns.
The Lions could deal one of their two first-round picks and guarantee a young, dynamic duo of Allen and Hutchinson on the edge for years to come. That would be a scary development for the NFC North and the rest of the conference.
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New York Giants Trade for WR DeAndre Hopkins
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Cardinals Receive: 2023 third-round pick (No. 101)
Giants Receive: WR DeAndre Hopkins
There are a lot of similarities between the 2022 New York Giants and the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles.
Both had mini-breakout seasons under first-year head coaches. Both made the playoffs only to have the doors blown off by a squad that was ahead of them in the team-building process.
The Giants were actually slightly more successful, winning an NFC Wild Card Game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Daniel Jones has made less of an impression with more time than Jalen Hurts, but his first season under Brian Daboll was his best. He threw for a career-high 3,205 yards while rushing for an additional 708 yards and seven touchdowns, giving hope that he can be the quarterback of the future.
The fact that he did it all with Darius Slayton (46 receptions, 724 yards and two touchdowns) as his top receiver makes it even more impressive.
The next step is to give him a legitimate No. 1 target, and DeAndre Hopkins is a great fit. The 30-year-old only played in nine games in 2022 after serving a six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy, and he still had 64 receptions for 717 yards in three touchdowns.
In other words, he was just about as productive as the Giants' No. 1 receiver despite playing in seven fewer games. Playing with Hopkins could unlock another level for Jones.
Given Hopkins' contract, age and injury history, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated estimated that a Day 2 pick would be the likely price to get the receiver out of Arizona. That's well worth the potential he would bring to the Giants offense.
New York Jets Trade for QB Aaron Rodgers
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Packers Receive: 2023 second-round pick (No. 44 overall), 2023 fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall), 2025 conditional second-round pick (becomes a first if Rodgers plays in 2024)
Jets Receive: QB Aaron Rodgers
There are two ways to make an immediate impact on a passing game: Surround a good quarterback with weapons or insert a talented quarterback into a good situation.
The New York Jets have made a lot of recent moves to put their signal-caller in a good position to succeed. Over the past two offseasons, they've drafted Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Elijah Moore in the first two rounds.
The Jets took a big step forward as a team last year. Their seven wins were more than the 2020 and 2021 campaigns combined.
However, they are still a quarterback away from being dangerous, with 2021 first-rounder Zach Wilson getting benched twice this past season. With Nathaniel Hackett joining the team as the offensive coordinator, Aaron Rodgers could be that signal-caller.
Rodgers is going to take some time to himself to decide whether he is going to play next year. The 39-year-old took a step back in 2022, throwing more interceptions (12) in one season than any since 2008 while only passing for 26 touchdowns.
Working with Hackett in Green Bay, Rodgers had back-to-back MVP campaigns in 2020 and 2021.
The recent failings of Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz after being traded could drive down the cost for a team looking to acquire Rodgers.
This deal gives the Packers the ability to move on from the Rodgers era and offers some protection for the Jets if the four-time MVP decides to call it quits in 2024.
Seattle Seahawks Trade for Cameron Jordan
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Saints Receive: 2023 second-round pick (No. 53 overall), 2024 third-round pick
Seahawks Receive: Edge Cameron Jordan
The Seattle Seahawks were huge winners in last year's Russell Wilson trade. While they can use the draft capital from that deal to build through the draft, it wouldn't hurt to add a veteran with a few of their picks as well.
As it turns out, Wilson needed the Seahawks more than they needed their old quarterback. Head coach Pete Carroll and his staff were able to resurrect Geno Smith's career en route to a surprise 9-8 season with a playoff appearance.
The Seahawks put together a foundational draft class in 2022. The offense will rely on Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas and Kenneth Walker III for years to come, while Tariq Woolen looks like a future star at cornerback.
That also means they are going to be paying some serious extensions in a few years.
For now, they have around $31.3 million in cap space. That gives them the flexibility to trade for a proven veteran like Cameron Jordan, who is set to make $25.6 million for the cash-strapped Saints (over $55 million in the red).
The Seahawks were 19th in pressure percentage but tied for seventh in sacks last season. They have a bevy of young pass-rushers, including Uchenna Nwosu (age 26), Darrell Taylor (25) and Boye Mafe (24). However, a veteran like Jordan (33) could help elevate the group into an elite unit.
Fierce pass rushes win games in December and January. The Seahawks roster already checks off a lot of boxes. Adding Jordan to the mix checks off another big one.
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