2024 NFL Offseason Trades That Make Too Much Sense to Actually Happen
The 2023 NFL season is not over yet, but fans of many organizations are already looking forward to the upcoming offseason. While only 12 teams are officially eliminated from contention ahead of Week 18, six more will soon join them and begin the process of re-tooling for 2024.
The draft and free agency will play major roles in shifting the league's landscape, but a trade is often the highest-profile and potentially most impactful transaction that a club can make. Bringing in a proven veteran who fits a glaring need at a critical position can help a team reverse its fortunes in rapid fashion.
Unfortunately, these types of trades are rare. Teams are often reticent to give up draft capital—despite evidence that an overwhelming number of prospects never amount to more than replacement-level talent—and player swaps simply don't occur the way they do in other professional sports leagues.
Despite this, it's still a fun and interesting exercise to speculate on trades that make a ton of sense on paper. While it's unlikely these moves will actually take place, here's a look at some hypothetical deals that could shake up the 2024 offseason.
Stefon Diggs to Dallas Cowboys
1 of 5
Bills Receive: 2024 first-round pick, 2024 third-round pick*
Cowboys Receive: WR Stefon Diggs
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the league's best wideouts in CeeDee Lamb. The fourth-year wideout took a leap in 2023, recently breaking the storied franchise's longstanding receiving yardage record. Despite Lamb's dominance, the Cowboys aren't even a top-five total offense heading into Week 18. One of the team's few deficiencies on that side of the ball is at the No. 2 receiver spot, a hole it should look to plug as soon as possible.
Dallas attempted to rectify this issue by becoming the latest team to trade for Brandin Cooks back in March. While Cooks has managed to stay relatively healthy, he has only mustered a pedestrian 618 yards on 48 receptions.
Michael Gallup once seemed like an ideal complement to Lamb but hasn't looked the same since suffering a late-season ACL tear in 2022. While Gallup recovered in time for the season opener and hasn't missed a single game this year, he's playing a career-low 53 percent of the offensive snaps and has posted only 418 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 34 catches.
Given prospects like Jalen Tolbert (20 receptions, 260 yards, one touchdown) and KaVontae Turpin (12 receptions, 127 yards, three touchdowns) haven't made much of an impact after two years in the league, it's time for the Cowboys to swing for the fences and execute a blockbuster trade. Acquiring Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills could be just what the franchise needs to field the NFL's most dynamic passing attack.
Diggs has been in trade rumors due to his outbursts of frustration with the Bills. While he's still a superstar who hasn't had fewer than 100 receptions, 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns in any of his four Buffalo seasons, the 30-year-old could finally force his way out if his team once again falters in the playoffs.
While it won't be easy for the cash-strapped Cowboys to take on the remainder of massive contract extension Diggs signed in 2022, Dallas could orchestrate a series of cuts and restructures to fit the elite receiver on the books and make the offense unstoppable in 2024.
*Assuming the Bills are rewarded a compensatory third-round pick
Davante Adams to New York Jets
2 of 5
Raiders Receive: 2025 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick
Jets Receive: WR Davante Adams
2023 may have been a nightmarish year for the New York Jets, but there is still hope that 2024 will bring the dream season Gang Green originally envisioned after acquiring Aaron Rodgers. With the future Hall of Famer confirming that he'll be sticking around for at least one more year after recovering from a devastating torn Achilles, the Jets will get another chance at making a Super Bowl run.
This offseason will be a critical one for New York. A healthy Rodgers likely lifts the team into the playoffs, but 2023 revealed that there is still work to be done if the squad wants to be a serious Lombardi Trophy contender. Fixing the offensive line should be the No. 1 priority this offseason, although acquiring more talent for the receiving corps should also be near the top of the to-do list.
New York has a bona fide star in Garrett Wilson, and while he was hamstrung with abysmal quarterback play, he still managed to post a second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign. The drop-off in talent after Wilson is massive, however, and must be brought up in time for next season. Tight end Tyler Conklin and running back Breece Hall are the team's second- and third-leading pass-catchers, respectively, while Allen Lazard—who has just 311 yards and one touchdown on 23 receptions—has been the second-most productive wideout on the roster.
The ideal fix for this problem would be a trade for Davante Adams. Although Adams is on the wrong side of 30 and is in the twilight of his sterling career, he's finishing up his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season and still seems to have plenty left in the tank. The Las Vegas Raiders' acquisition of the star receiver two years ago hasn't resulted in team success and could lead the organization to deal Adams away as it prepares to rebuild this offseason.
If the Jets can find a way to bring Adams in on the cheap and reunite him with Rodgers, it will almost guarantee this team fields one of the NFL's premier passing offenses next season. The battery played together with the Green Bay Packers for eight highly productive years and could replicate those successes in the Big Apple.
Brandon Aiyuk to Jacksonville Jaguars
3 of 5
49ers Receive: 2024 first-round pick, 2025 third-round pick
Jaguars Receive: WR Brandon Aiyuk
The Jacksonville Jaguars came into the current campaign with hopes of building on a brilliant finish to 2022. While the 9-7 Jaguars still have a good chance at reaching the postseason for a second straight year, they haven't emerged as a serious Super Bowl threat and need to make a splash to reach that point.
Trevor Lawrence displayed the ability to be a franchise quarterback but unfortunate injuries and an inconsistent receiving corps have hindered his ability to make a major leap in his third professional season. There's little doubt that Lawrence is still on track to be an elite NFL signal-caller, but he has to get some help to reach his full potential.
Enter Brandon Aiyuk, the dynamic San Francisco 49ers receiver who projects to be a popular trade target this offseason. Aiyuk finally broke through in 2022 with his first 1,000-yard season and parlayed that into a career year in 2023, racking up 1,317 yards and seven touchdowns on 72 receptions. While the Niners would reportedly prefer not to trade Aiyuk due to his fit in the offense and strong chemistry with burgeoning quarterback Brock Purdy, salary-cap constraints may leave them with little choice in the matter.
If Aiyuk becomes available, the Jaguars should be extremely interested. The team already has a major decision to make with Calvin Ridley, the team's No. 1 wideout who is set to hit free agency after the season. If the Jaguars opt to extend Ridley, the move would cost them a second-round pick as part of his trade conditions.
Jacksonville could instead allocate that type of capital toward the acquisition of Aiyuk, who will likely cost a first-round pick plus additional draft selections. The Jags could even consider going all-in on the receiver position, locking both Ridley and Aiyuk up on long-term deals.
While it won't be cheap, acquiring Aiyuk would provide Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense with the elite No. 1 pass-catcher needed to find sustained success in the years to come.
.jpg?w=256 "Patriots Vrabel Football")
Alvin Kamara to Kansas City Chiefs
4 of 5
Saints Receive: 2024 second-round pick
Chiefs Receive: RB Alvin Kamara
The Kansas City Chiefs have managed to thrive without a star running back for years, but there now looks to be a need for a dynamic playmaker in the backfield. The Chiefs initially seemed to be set with Isiah Pacheco handling the rushing load and Jerick McKinnon working as a pass-catcher, but polarizing play and injuries have hindered this dynamic.
The Chiefs are averaging a middling 103.8 yards per game on the ground and have scored just nine rushing touchdowns heading into the final game of the season. They've also taken a step back in the passing attack, averaging almost 50 yards fewer than they did during last year's Super Bowl-winning campaign. After suffering through the worst regular season of the Patrick Mahomes era—coupled with disappointing 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the aging McKinnon both set to become free agents—there is no better time to make a splash.
Alvin Kamara could be exactly who the Chiefs need to re-ignite their offense. The versatile New Orleans Saints star may not be the elite rusher he was early in his career—totaling a mediocre 694 yards and five scores on 180 totes—but he's still a high-end pass-catcher out of the backfield. Despite missing the first three weeks of the season due to a suspension, he's managed to tally up an impressive 75 receptions for 466 yards and a touchdown with one game left to play.
Kamara could seamlessly take over the backfield receiving role that McKinnon usually assumes while offering far more when his number is called for rushing plays than the 2.9 yards per attempt that McKinnon averaged in 2023. Kamara would make for an ideal complement to Pacheco and could keep defenses honest when he's on the field. While he's 28 years old and on an expensive contract, Kamara may be convinced to take a pay cut in exchange for a real chance to chase a ring, something he likely won't get if he remains in the Big Easy.
Justin Fields to Las Vegas Raiders
5 of 5
Bears Receive: 2024 third-round pick
Raiders Receive: QB Justin Fields
The Las Vegas Raiders are trending toward a full-blown rebuild this offseason. With head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler lasting less than two full seasons at the helm, the team will not only need to hire some replacements, but also hope that the new regime can quickly sort out the myriad of personnel issues plaguing this pockmarked roster.
The focus should be on the quarterback position after Jimmy Garoppolo failed to move the needle and was ultimately benched for Aidan O'Connell. While O'Connell has shown some flashes, the fourth-round pick has had an inconsistent rookie campaign and is far from guaranteed to develop into a viable long-term starting signal-caller. Rather than stick with O'Connell or roll the dice during the 2024 draft—the top prospects will likely be off the board before the Raiders are on the clock anyway—Vegas could look to the trade market to unearth its next franchise QB.
The Chicago Bears would be an ideal candidate to do business with. The Bears have found themselves in the unenviable situation of having to choose between retaining incumbent starting quarterback Justin Fields or shipping him off and forging ahead with a prospect they can land with the No. 1 overall pick. If Chicago opts for the latter strategy, the Raiders would be wise to capitalize on Fields' availability.
While Fields struggled out of the gate in 2023, he's since made strides and seems to be on the cusp of a breakthrough. His 61.0 completion percentage and meager 16 passing touchdowns over 12 games may leave much to be desired, but he's brought his interception percentage down and remains one of the league's most dangerous rushing quarterbacks. Fields has led the Bears to four wins over the last five games while putting up 1,044 yards and four touchdowns on 59 percent passing while also amassing 289 yards and three scores on 51 carries.
Fields would benefit from having a new regime in place who could tailor the offense and the roster to his strengths. It would be a perfect place for him to get a fresh start and find success, allowing the Raiders to get a potential franchise quarterback at a cheap cost—ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Courtney Cronin reported that Fields' trade cost would be a second- or third-round pick.
.jpg?w=480 "Patriots Vrabel Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Texans Steelers Football")
.png?w=600 "New Mock with Lottery Odds Locked In 🔮")
.jpg?w=600 "Coach Questions Beck's Personality 🤔")