NFL Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Cooper Kupp, Jaycee Horn and More
In some NFL seasons, trade activity stays quiet into the final hours leading up to the trade deadline.
The 2024 campaign is clearly not one of them.
While the deadline doesn't arrive until Tuesday, the league's transaction log has already been filling up.
Pass-catchers in particular are coming off the board early with the New York Jets getting Davante Adams, the Buffalo Bills landing Amari Cooper, the Kansas City Chiefs adding DeAndre Hopkins, and the Baltimore Ravens making a move for Diontae Johnson.
So, has the market already been so picked apart that we're destined to have a quiet deadline? In a word: nah. Not based on the latest buzz from the rumor mill, which we'll dissect here.
Top Pass-Rushers Untouchable?
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In theory, the pass-rushing market should be active. The Detroit Lions need someone to cover the Aidan Hutchinson-sized hole on their defensive line, and the Atlanta Falcons have to find someone capable of reaching the quarterback. Just about everyone could use more edge-rushing depth.
If teams are hoping to take massive swings, though, the market may not allow for that. Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, both Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett are on "the list of 'every team wants them but they aren't for sale.'" Teams will make inquires, per Russini, but "those two are too valuable to sell off."
Oh, and for those eyeing a game-wrecking defensive tackle, Russini reported that Jeffery Simmons is "one player I expect to be off-limits."
So, is all hope just lost for those in the pass-rushing market? Not exactly. Russini relayed that Jadeveon Clowney, Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith are all expected "to draw some interest before the deadline."
Jaycee Horn, Chuba Hubbard Staying Put?
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The Carolina Panthers own the league's worst winning percentage (.125) and scoring differential (minus-147). They benched 2023 top pick Bryce Young and saw his replacement, Andy Dalton, sidelined by a sprained thumb suffered in a car crash and just shipped out top pass-catcher Diontae Johnson.
They feel like the most logical fire-sale candidates in football, yet it doesn't sound like an everything-must-go style liquidation is imminent.
According to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, the Panthers have "no plans" to trade cornerback Jaycee Horn or running back Chuba Hubbard.
Hopefully, Carolina at least has its ears open, because when a roster needs this much work, a franchise should be eyeing all of the roster-building assets it can get.
Saying that, the Panthers will need to start assembling a nucleus at some point, and these two 2021 draft classmates—Horn was the No. 8 pick, Hubbard went 126th—could both be regarded as building blocks.
Teams Calling About Cooper Kupp?
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When the Los Angeles Rams stumbled out of the gate with four losses in their first five games, it felt like wholesale changes could be coming to the franchise.
The winds may have changed. Back-to-back triumphs have L.A. right back in the NFC West hunt, and it's no coincidence this club just played its best game of the season when it finally had Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in action.
Does all of this torpedo the chances of a Kupp trade? Maybe. The Chiefs, Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers were "among the teams that have either called L.A. or that L.A. reached out to to discuss a trade scenario," per Russini, but plenty has changed since those conversations happened.
One thing that was communicated to Kupp's suitors, though, was that eating a chunk of his salary "is not an option" for the Rams.
Again, this might all be moot with the Rams' recent uptick, but maybe things change again if L.A. lays an egg in Seattle on Sunday.
If the Rams focus less on their standing in the NFC West (a half-game out of first) and more on their overall performance (3-4 with the conference's fourth-worst scoring differential), maybe they'll wind up active in the trade market after all.
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