Potential NFL Trade Packages for Jonathan Allen and Other Underrated Defensive Stars
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and we're just a couple of weeks from the annual frenzy that is free agency.
It's about to get real.
While the league's decision-makers are in Indianapolis, they won't just be watching this year's rookie class.
They will also be talking turkey with other teams about trades, whether it's draft picks or players. It's no coincidence that news has been breaking daily that players are either being shopped or have been given permission to shop themselves.
Many of those names ply their trade on the defensive side of the ball. Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett may not be (yet), but there are some players believed to be available who could have a sizable impact for new teams in 2025.
DT Jonathan Allen to Arizona Cardinals
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Commanders Get: 2025 fourth-round pick; 2026 sixth-round pick
Cardinals Get: DT Jonathan Allen
Not that long ago, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was a foundational piece of the Washington defense. In both 2021 and 2022, he recorded at least 7.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl.
Over the past two years, the 30-year-old has just 8.5 sacks and missed over half the 2024 season with a pectoral injury. The Commanders drafted Jer'Zhan Newton early on Day 2 last year and have reportedly given Allen permission to seek a trade.
"Everything's still on the table in terms of whether it's trade or staying here or whatever," general manager Adam Peters told reporters. "We're still going through that. It's kind of early in the stages. We haven't done a lot of exploring yet, but that's kind of where we're at right now."
Allen has a $22.3 million cap hit for 2025. But none of his $15.5 million base salary is guaranteed, so trade suitors could use a contract restructuring to lessen his cap hit in the season to come.
There are no shortage of teams who could use help up front, but the Commanders aren't going to trade the two-time Pro Bowler to another NFC contender. However, the Arizona Cardinals aren't exactly viewed as a threat in the conference, and with over $76 million in cap space, they have plenty of room to absorb Allen's salary.
Add in Arizona's need for help in the front seven, and it would be well-advised to see if a pair of Day 3 picks would be enough to get Washington to move on.
Edge Joey Bosa to Detroit Lions
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Los Angeles Chargers Get: 2025 fourth-round pick
Detroit Lions Get: Edge Joey Bosa
To be clear, the Los Angeles Chargers haven't given Joey Bosa permission to seek a trade. In fact, while at the 2025 combine, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz told reporters the team would love to keep him for the rest of his career.
"I know he wants to retire a Charger," he said. "I'd love for him to retire a Charger. I love Joey—the teammate, the competitor."
However, general managers say lots of things at the combine. Bosa's cap number for 2025 is well north of $35 million, and he was the third-best edge-rusher on his own team last year.
And the 29-year-old has played in more than 10 games just once in the past three years and hasn't had a 10-sack season since 2021.
There's a reason why the 2016 No. 3 overall pick has been mentioned as a trade or even a cut candidate for much of the offseason—especially if the Chargers have aspirations of re-signing fellow edge-rusher Khalil Mack.
The Detroit Lions have been mentioned as a potential trade partner for any number of edge-rushers, including stars such as Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett.
Bosa wouldn't be nearly as expensive as those names. Playing for arguably the NFC's most talented team would have to be appealing to him.
And with just one year left on his deal, the Lions could either re-work his contract to lessen the cap hit or go with a one-year trial period.
Maybe a change of scenery is just what Bosa needs to get back on track.
Edge Harold Landry to the New England Patriots
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Tennessee Titans Get: 2025 third-round pick
New England Patriots Get: Edge Harold Landry; 2025 sixth-round pick
The Tennessee Titans may have tipped their hands regarding their plans for the first overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, they have granted eighth-year veteran edge-rusher Harold Landry permission to seek a trade—news that could indicate they are leaning toward drafting Penn State's Abdul Carter with the No. 1 selection in April.
Wednesday's news that Carter has a foot injury that may require surgery muddies the waters a bit, but we'll assume Tennessee is still OK with dealing Landry here.
As soon as the Landry news broke, people started connecting the dots between him and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who is now leading a New England Patriots team embarking on a rebuild.
The Patriots were dead-last in the league in sacks last year, with 28. With a staggering $128 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, fitting Landry's contract on the books isn't a problem.
And in January 2024, Landry said he couldn't imagine playing for another coach besides Vrabel, per John Glennon of the Nashville Post:
"Not really to be honest. Because … I've been with him my whole career. I feel like my time I spent with him and this defensive staff, I feel like I can kind of speak on them. I feel like with [Vrabel], my entire career, situationally, I've been as prepared as I can possibly be for every game."
Landry's best season came under Vrabel in 2021, with a career-high 12 sacks and a Pro Bowl nod. If the Titans are serious about moving on from the 28-year-old, a deal with the Pats makes a ton of sense.
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Edge Bryce Huff to Atlanta Falcons
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Philadelphia Eagles Get: 2026 sixth-round pick
Atlanta Falcons Get: Edge Bryce Huff
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is one of the best in the league at his job, but he appears to have whiffed badly on edge-rusher Bryce Huff.
After a 10-sack season with the New York Jets, the 26-year-old got a three-year, $51.1 million contract with the Eagles. However, he was a complete non-factor for the team in 2024 with just 2.5 sacks and wasn't even active for its win in Super Bowl LIX.
Aaron Schatz at ESPN said Philadelphia's wisest course of action at this point is to admit its mistake and move on, and he pointed out the Atlanta Falcons as a potential trade partner:
"The Eagles aren't going to have any use for Huff going forward, but someone will despite his off year. So why not trade him instead of cutting him? Let's find the other teams that were interested in Huff a season ago and the Eagles can try to flip him for draft picks. Atlanta would be an interesting team to start with—the Falcons desperately need pass-rush help and took a look at Huff last year. The Eagles will need to make the trade with a post-June 1 designation because it will give Philadelphia an additional $4.3 million in cap space and $3.3 million in dead money. That's worth it if the Eagles can get a midround 2026 pick as well."
This would essentially be a salary dump, because even the Falcons aren't going to give up much for a player who had the disappointing season Huff did a year ago. Atlanta would also have to do some financial wrangling to fit him under the cap.
However, the Falcons need pass-rush help as much as any team in the league. And players with 10-sack seasons on their NFL resume aren't often available on the cheap.
LB Germaine Pratt to Indianapolis Colts
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Cincinnati Bengals Get: 2025 fifth-round pick
Indianapolis Colts Get: LB Germaine Pratt; 2025 seventh-round pick
Apparently, Germaine Pratt sees the writing on the wall.
Last year, the 28-year-old paced the Bengals with 143 total tackles, but he also missed a whopping 20 stops and is entering a contract year. With him being widely viewed as a cut candidate, he requested a trade a couple of weeks ago.
Almost as soon as Pratt asked to be moved, Justin Melo of Draft Network mentioned the Colts as a logical trade partner:
"To date, Pratt has played his entire six-year career under Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The Bengals parted ways with Anarumo earlier this offseason, and he quickly became Shane Steichen's new DC in Indianapolis. That familiarity should help. E.J. Speed is among the Colts’ unrestricted free agents. Speed was a workhorse for Gus Bradley's defense last season, playing more than 87% of the available defensive snaps. A couple of backup linebackers are also scheduled for free agency. Pratt could be viewed as a potential replacement in the starting lineup."
Speed's career year in 2024 could create a robust market for his services—one that would see his salary exceed Pratt's $5.25 million base salary in 2025. His familiarity with Anarumo's defense could ease Indy's transition in that regard.
And if the Bengals are serious about moving on from Pratt, he should be available cheaply in terms of draft pick compensation.
CB Jaire Alexander to Las Vegas Raiders
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Green Bay Packers Get: 2025 fourth-round pick
Las Vegas Raiders Get: CB Jaire Alexander
When healthy, Jaire Alexander is capable of being one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL.
However, after playing just 14 games the past two years (and missing at least 10 games in three of four seasons) and with a gaudy $25.5 million cap hit in 2025, there has been chatter that the two-time Pro Bowler's days in Green Bay are numbered.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst didn't quell those rumors while addressing the media at the combine:
"We'll see; we're working through that. He certainly could be (in Green Bay), but I think we'll work through that as we go. We've got to get him out there now. I think obviously we've talked about there's been a lot of frustration on his part. He wants to be out there badly, and not being able to be out there at his best has frustrated him, and that has frustrated our football team, too, because we're better with him. But we'll see."
Simply put, the Las Vegas Raiders need impact players on both sides of the ball.
They have a need at cornerback and almost $100 million in cap space. And at just 28 years old, Alexander could still turn things around and reclaim his status as a shutdown corner.
With a new regime in Sin City trying to turn things around, acquiring Alexander is worth rolling the dice.
CB Greg Newsome II to Minnesota Vikings
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Cleveland Browns Get: 2025 sixth-round pick
Minnesota Vikings Get: CB Greg Newsome; 2025 seventh-round pick
The Cleveland Browns are a mess where the salary cap is concerned, and only the New Orleans Saints are further in the red. Multiple difficult decisions need to be made.
That cap situation has led to young cornerback Greg Newsome II being mentioned in trade rumors, although the 24-year-old hasn't given them much credence.
"I don't pay attention, but obviously my family and stuff tell me and ask me," he said, via Camryn Justice of WEWS Cleveland. "What goes through my head is nothing. I feel like I'm comfortable here. I feel like AB (general manager Andrew Berry) and, the ownership and all my coaches know what I'm capable of. They know what I bring to this team, not just on the field, being one of those glue guys. Being a guy that's always energetic. Celebrating no matter what. I feel like they know my value, so no I wasn't too worried about that."
Frankly, the Browns would have been better served trading Newsome a year ago, according to Candace Pedraza of Dawg Pound Daily:
"If Cleveland really wants to make moves to alleviate their cap space, they should try to deal Newsome and his $13 million dollar contract this offseason instead of [Martin] Emerson's. Attaching a pick might be necessary considering how hefty this contract is, and considering how off of a year Newsome had in 2024."
That $13 million is Newsome's fifth-year option, so the team acquiring him could reduce the cap hit with an extension. The Vikings have the cap space to eat the bigger number and need cornerback help as badly as any team in the league.
If Minnesota has any confidence Newsome can regain his 2023 form, his minimal cost in a deal is well worth the risk.
S Tyrann Mathieu to Baltimore Ravens
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New Orleans Saints Get: 2026 fifth-round pick
Baltimore Ravens Get: S Tyrann Mathieu
This isn't the first time this writer has mentioned a version of this trade—and it makes just as much sense now as it did at the beginning of February.
The New Orleans Saints have to do something to alleviate the worst salary-cap situation in the NFL; they are a staggering $47 million and change over the cap. Deals need to be restructured, players cut, and quite possibly a trade or two.
If there's an area where I goofed, it's the timing of the trade. The deal makes much more sense financially if the Saints wait until after June 1 to make the move. It means waiting another year for compensation, but it also means far less dead cap and over $7 million in additional savings this year.
Tyrann Mathieu will be 33 when the 2025 season begins. His last All-Pro nod came in 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs. Simply put, he isn't the player he once was.
But the LSU product is a versatile defensive back who can play multiple positions and posted a rock-solid passer rating against of 76.4 last season.
Upgrading the league's second-worst pass defense from last season has to be right at the top of the Ravens' to-do list this spring. They should use every option available to do so, including a trade for a veteran upgrade at safety.
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