NFL Trade Rumors: Examining Top Buzz Before Deadline Day

With the 2014 NFL trade deadline looming roughly 24 hours away, several names have begun to swirl around the rumor mill. Some may have been expected due to recent gossip, but others come as quite a surprise.

Trade-deadline deals come with a ton of risk. Generally, teams looking to add players at this time of year are in contention for a playoff berth and may need just one or two more pieces to get over the hump. This means the players that are dealt can often come at a hefty price, and they don't always live up to expectations.

That said, some of the NFL's biggest insiders have recently published their findings on the Web. Here's a look at a handful of rumors that could shake up the league.

Vincent Jackson

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Rumors have been swirling about the availability of Jackson lately. However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports clarified the wide receiver's situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

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A few teams, though not Seattle, have called the Buccaneers seeing what it might take to land receiver Vincent Jackson, who Tampa is very happy with and is not shopping. A trade seems unlikely at this point, given it would take a fair amount of compensation to land Jackson (likely a second-round pick), sources said, but is not out of the question.

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La Canfora makes several interesting remarks here. For one, the Seattle Seahawks don't appear to be in the running despite dealing wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets. This may come with much chagrin to fans of the team, but the offense seems to be coming along quite nicely with Doug Baldwin and company. However, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport heard differently:

While La Canfora alludes to the fact that the Buccaneers aren't shopping Jackson, he doesn't rule out a potential deal with a wide receiver-needy team willing to give up the appropriate compensation. Could the New England Patriots pull the trigger here? Following the emergence of Brandon LaFell, chances are slim. It should be safe to assume Jackson remains in Tampa Bay.

Kendall Langford

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

After selecting Aaron Donald in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft to pair with Michael Brockers at defensive tackle, Langford is now the odd man out. According to Rapoport, other teams have realized this and have begun to put calls into St. Louis:

The seventh-year veteran is coming off a 2013 season in which he recorded 49 tackles and five sacks, showing the ability to knife into the backfield to get after the quarterback and plug holes to stuff the run. He should be considered a hot commodity for any team in need of a bigger presence on the interior of its defensive line.

It's not yet known which teams have been inquiring about Langford's services, but the Seahawks could be looking for able pass-rushers, and the Cincinnati Bengals could use help in their defensive line rotation. It's not too far-fetched to think Langford is on his way out of St. Louis.

Doug Martin

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Jackson may be garnering plenty of interest near the trade deadline, but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Martin could be a more likely candidate to be dealt out of Tampa Bay:

Martin has fallen out of favor in Tampa Bay recently. While he still receives the bulk of the workload out of the team's backfield, he hasn't done much to impress new head coach Lovie Smith. In Week 8, Martin rushed 10 times for just 27 yards against the Minnesota Vikings, and he has yet to regain the form he showed in his 1,400-yard, 11-touchdown 2012 season.

An interesting fit could be the Patriots. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, "the Pats and coach Bill Belichick are looking for a running back."

Due to Martin's lackluster performances of late, Belichick could get a bargain deal for this running back. Don't be surprised if we see Martin in a Patriots jersey for the remainder of the season.