2023 NFL Trade Deadline Fire Sale Scenarios for Giants and Other Disappointing Teams
The start of the 2023 NFL season has been chock-full of surprises. Several teams projected to be non-factors have come out of the gate red-hot, while other clubs that were expected to be competitive have underwhelmed to the point they are already staring down a lost season.
With the trade deadline looming over these slumping franchises—teams have until 4 p.m. ET on October 31 to make deals—it's time to start thinking about some fire sale scenarios that could occur in the coming weeks.
Here's a look at five teams that should be sellers at the deadline as well as the best moves they could make to foster a rebuilding effort and improve their chances of contending again in the coming years.
Denver Broncos: Trade Away Top Receivers
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After suffering through an abysmal 2022 season, the Denver Broncos were hoping to turn things around this year with Sean Payton at the helm. The costly trade for the head coach has only resulted in more disaster, however, as the team has stumbled to a 1-4 record.
With no legitimate hope for a turnaround this year, the Broncos' best option is to start planning for the 2024 season. The roster may be a mess with Russell Wilson clogging up cap space, but there are still a few valuable pieces that could fetch Denver a decent amount of draft capital.
The team already flipped veteran edge-rusher Randy Gregory and a seventh-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos are willing to listen to trade offers for "almost any player on the defensive side" leading up to the deadline.
While Denver is open to dismantling a defense that ranks dead-last in points and yards conceded this year, the best returns could come from trading away wideouts Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
Jeudy, a first-round pick in 2020, is locked into his rookie deal through next season and has just started to hit his stride in the NFL. After a slow, injury-plagued start to his career, the Alabama product broke out in 2022 with a 67-catch, 972-yard, six-touchdown campaign. While Jeudy hasn't found the end zone yet this season, he has 17 receptions for 208 yards in four contests.
Sutton is in the midst of a four-year, $60.8 million extension he signed in 2021 that will keep him under contract through the 2025 season. While he's also had some injury woes—notably missing nearly the entire 2020 campaign with a torn ACL—the 2018 second-round pick has been largely productive since entering the league. Over his first 70 games, Sutton has recorded 260 catches for 3,716 yards and 17 touchdowns, including 21 receptions for 229 yards and three scores this season.
Both Jeudy and Sutton are sure to generate plenty of interest if the Broncos start aggressively shopping them. The team reportedly wanted a first-round pick for Jeudy before turning down overtures for both receivers during the offseason. It's likely Jeudy could net a first-rounder from a squad like the Carolina Panthers, a club that Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz said has made acquiring a No. 1 wideout a "top priority" to assist the development of prized quarterback Bryce Young.
Sutton could land with a squad like the Dallas Cowboys—who clearly need an offensive jolt following their embarrassing 42-10 loss in prime time to the San Francisco 49ers—in return for a Day 2 pick.
While The Athletic's Dianna Russini found that Denver still isn't looking to move any offensive players despite its atrocious start, the team should be willing to change course and sell off one or both of its top wideouts for the right offer. Adding early-round picks is exactly what the Broncos need to rebuild from the ground up on both sides of the ball. It may take a few more losses before the deadline for the front office to realize this, but it's the right move for a franchise that is bordering on hopelessness.
Las Vegas Raiders: Find a Taker For Josh Jacobs
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The Josh McDaniels era has been a massive disappointment for the Las Vegas Raiders. After being a popular pick to reach the playoffs upon acquiring Davante Adams last year, the team started 1-4 before a Week 6 bye and went on to finish well out of contention at 6-11. Things aren't looking any better for the Raiders after they stumbled out of the gate yet again, losing three of their first four games to open the 2023 campaign.
It's clear that veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo isn't the right signal-caller to lift this team back to relevance. The offense has completely sputtered out despite having a superstar receiver in Davante Adams and an elite back in Josh Jacobs, generating a meager 15.5 points per game thus far. Vegas isn't doing too much better on defense either after allowing opponents to put up more than 25 points per game on average while amassing a meager seven sacks on the year.
Despite these failures, the team doesn't seem interested in giving up on the season just yet. The Athletic's Dianna Russini even found that the Raiders are reportedly considering bringing in a veteran pass-rusher. Even if they do find a competent edge-rusher to replace the released Chandler Jones, it's hard to see a scenario in which Vegas will be able to right the ship in time to make the playoffs.
If the front office does come to its senses and wants to get a head start on a rebuild, finding a buyer for Jacobs should be one of the first moves that Las Vegas makes. While Jacobs earned the league's rushing crown last year, he's off to a poor start along with the rest of the offense. The running back has amassed just 166 yards and one touchdown across his first 62 carries of the season.
Considering Jacobs signed a one-year, $11.8 million deal this offseason and will be a free agent after the season, it'd be wise to move on from the 25-year-old before losing him for a middling compensatory draft pick at best. The Miami Dolphins already reportedly showed interest in acquiring him during the offseason, and there's likely a potential contender in need of backfield help that would be willing to take him on before the deadline.
A squad like the Los Angeles Rams, who have been heavily relying on Kyren Williams since trading away Cam Akers, could make sense for Jacobs to land with. The Rams need an immediate boost after their 2-3 start, so adding a talent like Jacobs would be sensible. Getting an All-Pro in exchange for a Day 2 draft selection is the type of move general manager Les Snead—perhaps best known for his "F--k them picks" attitude—has a propensity to make.
While the Raiders may be worse this year without Jacobs in the mix, a Day 2 selection in 2024 offers far more value to the franchise's long-term outlook. The more young talent this team can amass, the better, as it will need all the help it can get to become competitive again.
Minnesota Vikings: End the Kirk Cousins Era
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The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2022 regular season with an impressive 13-4 record, but it's been all downhill from there. The team was embarrassed by the underdog New York Giants in January's Wild Card Round matchup and is trending toward missing the postseason entirely this year. Following their 1-4 start to the campaign, the Vikings could start tearing things down over the next month.
While there was some hope of a turnaround when the team notched its first win of 2023 against the hapless Carolina Panthers in Week 4, those dreams quickly evaporated in a disheartening 27-20 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. While all four of their losses came by a single score margin, the Vikings are now in a hole that may be too deep to crawl out from.
Rather than suffer through a lost season, Minnesota could maximize its chances of fielding a competitive squad in 2024 by selling off arguably its most valuable asset: Kirk Cousins. The veteran quarterback's stats are pretty impressive—he's completed 67.2 percent of his throws for 1,498 yards and 13 touchdowns over the first five games, on pace to outperform even his 2022 stats, a year in which he completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns—but the team isn't getting the desired results in the win column.
Considering Cousins is in the final year of his contract (valued at $35 million), the Vikings could try to get maximum value back for the signal-caller via a trade before the deadline. A team like the New York Jets, which has managed to keep playoff aspirations alive with a Week 5 victory, could be an intriguing landing spot as long as the club is willing to give up some assets for what will likely amount to a rental QB1 for a few months.
While the Jets can't cough up their 2024 first- or second-rounders due to conditions tied to the Aaron Rodgers trade, they do have 2025 first- and 2024 third-round picks to entice Minnesota with. It's worth noting that Cousins does have a no-trade clause and would have to give his blessing for any deal to occur, but the 35-year-old should be open to chasing a ring in the twilight of his career. With Minnesota offering little chance of capturing a Lombardi Trophy and the Jets having nearly everything but a competent, healthy quarterback on their roster, a trade could be the best option for both parties.
New England Patriots: Sell Off Defensive Pieces
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The New England Patriots have turned into a shell of the powerhouse they were over the first two decades of the 21st century. The team went from an offensive juggernaut with Tom Brady at the helm to mediocre at best since the future Hall of Famer left after the 2019 season. Things have hit a low point during the 2023 season with quarterback Mac Jones getting yanked in back-to-back blowout losses.
New England is heading into Week 6 rating among the league's worst teams in several major offensive categories, including last in points scored with a pitiful 55 across five games. Most tellingly, the Patriots are tied for the second-worst turnover differential in the NFL at minus-seven. The squad has recorded a meager two takeaways against its nine giveaways, something that would be almost unthinkable during the dynasty years.
It's clear that something has to give in New England. While removing Bill Belichick from his post would certainly shake things up, it's not a move that the Pats would realistically make midway through the year.
What New England could conceivably do, however, is sell off pieces to get a jump-start on a rebuild. The team needs more young offensive talent, and stockpiling more draft picks could help accomplish that goal this coming offseason.
Breaking down the defense—the only semi-strong point of this roster—may not help in the near term, but it's looking like the right call during this lost season. Veteran defensive back Jalen Mills would be a great trade candidate considering he's only a depth option but performing well when he does see the field.
Mills has contributed nine tackles while earning a respectable 75.6 PFF grade this year. He could net the club one of the many Day 3 draft picks it will need to overhaul the roster. The Green Bay Packers have some glaring holes within their secondary, and a versatile safety like Mills could help plug a gap for that up-and-coming club.
New England employs some other veterans on the defensive side who might also net a decent return, with guys like Jabrill Peppers and Davon Godchaux standing out as trade candidates. Selling off as many of these veterans as they can may sting now, but stockpiling draft pieces is the only way the Patriots will be able to re-emerge as a contender.
New York Giants: Move on from Saquon Barkley
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The New York Giants came into 2023 with plenty of optimism following their surprise run to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The team managed to keep much of its core together in the offseason—most notably issuing new deals to offensive cornerstones like Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones—and looked ready to build upon its 9-7-1 showing during the 2022 campaign.
Things have not gone as planned for Big Blue. The squad has been ravaged by injuries and has seen its healthy players fare poorly. Barkley has been absent since suffering a high ankle sprain in the second game of the season, the latest in a string of injuries for the superstar running back. Jones has regressed since signing his big contract extension, producing a mere two touchdowns against six interceptions while taking 28 sacks.
These issues, along with middling defensive efforts, have resulted in a 1-4 record and little chance of making it back to the playoffs for the second straight year. Given the G-Men have lost by 15 points or more in each of the last three contests, it's time for the team to make plans for a trade deadline fire sale.
Barkley might be one of the leading candidates to leave this month. While his tenure in the Big Apple has resulted in some bright spots—he was one of the league's most dynamic talents before a torn ACL derailed his career in 2020—and seemed rejuvenated last year, this ankle injury should be a sign that the Giants need to move on. Barkley and the organization struggled to come to terms on a contract this offseason before agreeing to a one-year deal in late July. The 26-year-old will be a free agent after the season, and it's quite likely he'll sign elsewhere on the open market.
Rather than get nothing but a compensatory selection in return for Barkley, the Giants should be working the phones to see what other teams may be willing to offer. Getting a late-Day 2 pick from a team like the Baltimore Ravens—a club that has Super Bowl dreams but lost starting running back J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending injury and has gotten mixed results from backups Justice Hill and Gus Edwards in the weeks since—could be the best path forward.
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