NFL Trade Speculation: 7 Players That Need a Change of Scenery

Although the NFL trade market might not be as active as the other major sports, this is the part of the calendar where the most trade action usually takes place.

Some teams may be looking to free up cap space for the start of free agency while others might be looking to exchange veterans for draft picks in an effort to get younger.

From a player's perspective, the prospect of relocating against one's own choosing might be disconcerting, but there are times when a change of scenery could be just what the player needed.

Whether a player is a disgruntled veteran or a high draft pick that never worked out, simply putting them in new surroundings can change the trajectory of their career for better or worse.

There are plenty of obvious free agents (DeSean Jackson, Jason Campbell and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, to name a few) who would benefit from a change of scenery and can do that on their own accord.

But here's a look at seven players who would benefit greatly by changing teams via the trade market. 

Santonio Holmes

When Santonio Holmes exploded in frustration during the fourth quarter of the final game of the 2011 season, it gave fans their first public glimpse at the New York Jets' fractured team chemistry.

From the minute that hideous game ended, the media began to peel back the layers of animosity and other players were surprisingly forthcoming with negative information.

While there were many targets on the roster, Holmes came across as the real villain.

He refused to attend meetings, shunned behind-the-scenes work with Mark Sanchez and was accused of quitting on his team.

On the field, Holmes had the worst statistical season of his six-year career with just 51 catches and a career-low 654 yards.

Jets wide receivers were largely forgotten as a unit in 2011 as Dustin Keller became Sanchez's favorite target.  There were times (especially in the final game of the season) when it looked like Holmes was intentionally frozen out of the offense.

Most teams would have no problem cutting an underperforming player with a bad attitude.  However, in their infinite wisdom, the Jets recently gave Holmes a contract that made cutting him just about financially impossible.

Holmes' talent has never been in question and even if public efforts by Sanchez to repair their relationship do work, Holmes still won't be in an ideal situation to maximize his potential.

Sanchez will never be a gunslinger and his receivers will never have the numbers of those who play for Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees.

The hiring of Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator and the Jets' rededication to a ground-and-pound offense will mean that even in a best-case scenario, Holmes will never be a major threat.

Although it is unlikely, a trade of Holmes to a pass-first team will give him a fresh start, help his ego and make the best use of his talents.

Tyson Jackson

Coming into the 2009 NFL draft, both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay had Tyson Jackson as the No. 12 pick in each of their mock drafts.

In a bit of a stretch, he was picked third overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.

In December of 2009, Kiper re-evaluated the draft and still felt the pick was a reach.

Kiper wrote:

"

I called the Tyson Jackson pick a reach at the time -- and it still seems that way. Classic case of trying so hard to find the player that fits your system, but you end up not trading down and getting lower value based on the position.

"

Fast-forward to 2012 and now Jackson has completed three seasons in the NFL.  Over that time he has played in 44 games and has a grand total of two sacks.

Not the type of production you'd expect from the first defensive player selected in the draft.

Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli has defended his pick in the past and the Chiefs still hope that Jackson can develop, but after three years of minimal production, Jackson might benefit from different coaches, a different system or just a change of scenery.  

Marcedes Lewis

In a year that saw tight ends flourish like never before, it's hard to believe Marcedes Lewis took a major step backwards. 

While Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham were running free, incapable of being covered by anyone, Lewis was bumbling his way around Jacksonville on his way to averaging just over two catches per game.

What is hardest to believe is that Lewis didn't score a single touchdown in 2011 after scoring 10 in 2010.  

That is downright inexcusable.

It's true that Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham had guys named Tom Brady and Dree Brees throwing to them while Lewis was saddled with Blaine Gabbert, but you'd have to figure Lewis would find some way to score a touchdown, even by accident.

While any offensive player would benefit from a change of scenery to a team with a better quarterback, a player like Lewis could really blossom into the absolute beast that he should be in the right system.

Lewis is actually bigger than Gronkowski and 10 pounds heavier than Graham, and with the matchup problems he creates, he should be an easy target for anyone.

He has shown the ability to be lethal in the red zone and if he somehow ended up on a talented team that needs a tight end like the New York Giants, Lewis could reach the Pro Bowl-level that he should be playing at consistently.

Felix Jones

When Felix Jones watched from the sidelines as the Dallas Cowboys scorched the St. Louis Rams 34-7 in Week 7 last year, he had to realize that any chance he had at becoming a full-time running back with the Cowboys had come to an end.

That was the game that DeMarco Murray set a franchise record by running for 253 yards on 25 carries.

Murray led Dallas to wins in four of their next five games while putting up the best numbers of any running back in the NFL over that time.

Although Murray was ultimately lost for the season due to an ankle injury in Week 14, it is crystal-clear that he is the Cowboys' running back of the future.

Couple that with the expected emergence of Phillip Tanner and Jones' role on the Cowboys could diminish even further.

While Jones will never be a bell-cow running back on a ground-and-pound team, he does work well as a nice change-of-pace back who could also catch the ball out of the backfield.

Jones would be a perfect fit for a team like the Oakland Raiders, who could lose Michael Bush to free agency.  He could also benefit greatly on a team like the Green Bay Packers, who could use an upgrade from last year's mediocre rushing attack.

The Cowboys had high hopes for Jones when they drafted him ahead of Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson in the first round of the 2008 draft.  While he has been productive, the high hopes never materialized. 

In the right situation, Jones could be a key piece on a championship-caliber team and even if the Cowboys don't get a ransom for him, they could at least free up some cap space and acquire an extra draft pick.

Bart Scott

When Rex Ryan came to the New York Jets, he brought along Bart Scott as the supposed face of the Jets defense.

Aside from his famous "can't wait" rant, he has been mostly anonymous during his time in New York.

Scott has had some good moments while wearing the green and white, but they have been few and far between.  

Ryan expected Scott to emerge from the shadow of Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs to become a true leader, but all that happened was that he proved he is probably best as a complementary player.  

After a season in which his playing time dwindled and his frustration boiled over, it is best that he becomes that complementary player on a team other than the Jets.

Scott's 2011 season took such a downturn that if he does leave the team, the last piece of news he will have made as a Jet was flipping off a reporter as he cleaned out his locker, earning himself a $10,000 fine.  His situation got so bad that he had to be called in to meet with management to clear up their differences.

It was during that meeting that Scott was allegedly told he could explore his options as a trade candidate to other teams.  

The biggest problem with that is Scott's $4.2 million guaranteed salary in 2012.

Last year to create cap space, Scott agreed to a $1 million pay cut in 2011 and in return had his 2012 salary fully guaranteed.  It's a move the Jets have to regret as they never spent that additional money and now will be in a bind if they do try to move him.

However, it would benefit both the Jets and Scott if they are able to work out a trade.  The Jets could free up some much-needed cap space and Scott could find a place where his playing time would increase.

He also wouldn't be expected to come in and be a savior on defense.

It would particularly benefit Scott if he landed on a certain Super Bowl championship team that happens to reside in the same building as the Jets.

Osi Umenyiora

It was just eight months ago that Osi Umenyiora was calling New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese a liar in a sworn affidavit and dragging his name through the mud in any New York tabloid that would listen to him.

But winning a Super Bowl changes a lot of things.

Umenyiora has buried his grudges for now and instead of grumbling about his contract, playing time or broken promises, he has been talking about spending the rest of his career in New York.

If history has taught us anything, that will all change sooner or later.

The Giants aren't a team that will rest on their laurels and despite the Super Bowl championship, they will have plenty of needs to address in the offseason.  The Giants have a number of key free agents and they will have a lot of work to do to fill the holes of the departed.

While the Giants are at their absolute best when Umenyiora is happy and healthy, working on the contract of a player who is already signed can't be the team's highest priority, no matter what Reese says.

Couple that with the need to sign young stars like Jason Pierre-Paul, Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks in the coming years, and it isn't likely that Umenyiora can get the long-term deal and raise he is seeking.

He especially shouldn't expect a raise and long-term security as an eight-year veteran who will be 31 years old before the end of next season.

The time to trade Umenyiora is right now.  He is still an elite pass-rusher and the Giants should have no trouble landing an attractive bounty.  

For Umenyiora, a change of scenery might not bring an increase in production (he has no problem terrorizing quarterbacks when he plays) but it will allow him to escape the accusations and bad blood that are sure to bubble up once the euphoria of the Super Bowl victory wears off.

Billy Cundiff

Billy Cundiff might need a change of scenery just for the benefit of his own health and safety.  

Cundiff's high-profile missed 32-yard field goal in the AFC Championship game not only sent the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl, but also sent Baltimore Ravens fans over the edge of insanity.

Fans took to social media outlets immediately, creating Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that mocked Cundiff and called for his ultimate demise.

To make matters worse, any Raven fan watching the Super Bowl had to believe they could have beaten either team on the field that day.  

The timing of Cundiff's epic miss could not have been worse either.  After a strong 2010 season in which he hit 90 percent of his field goals, Cundiff inked a five-year deal for $15 million with the Ravens.

The contract is a bit misleading though, as Cundiff received a $3 million signing bonus, which means his cap hit wouldn't be too bad if he was cut.

While NFL teams don't generally trade kickers, there are a number of teams who currently employ much worse kickers than Cundiff.  

Normally, kickers who blow postseason games don't bounce back to have prosperous NFL careers (see Scott Norwood, Doug Brien).  However, Cundiff's kick is different because of the confusion surrounding the attempt.

Due to an alleged wrong scoreboard, Cundiff didn't know the actual down and when he finally realized it was fourth down, he had to rush onto the field for the kick.  He actually should have been saved by head coach John Harbaugh, who apparently was saving his final timeout for the 2012 preseason opener. 

Cundiff's missed kick shouldn't lead to any yips and he still figures to have a productive NFL career.  But if Ravens fans never saw him in the purple and black again, that would be perfectly fine by them.