Kyle Pitts, NFL Trades That Would Most Excite Fantasy Football Managers

June has begun, and while that might not appear an especially important happening in the NFL, it rather is.

On June 1, the financial implications of trading and/or releasing a player change—sometimes drastically. Dead-cap hits can be spread out, which is why so many players released over the past couple of months received a “post-June 1” designation.

We’re also in a bit of a slow spot in the offseason calendar. Yes, there are OTAs going on and mandatory minicamps still to come, but it will be a while still before training camp opens in earnest.

That means that if any big personnel moves (like, say, trades) are going to happen, they will probably happen soon. It’s easier to make the money work, and teams want time to acclimate players to their new home before training camp.

Given that, it’s hardly surprising that trade speculation is as rampant now as at any point this offseason, with Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts the latest player to be the subject of trade rumors.

Most of those rumors will remain no more than that. But a few trades could well happen—deals that shake up not just the NFL but also the fantasy football landscape.

And since this is a time of hope in fantasy (we’re all undefeated right now), let’s take this speculation and spin it into plausible deals that would please fantasy managers.

Keep hope alive!

TE Kyle Pitts to Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

As with most of the players in this column, the odds that Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts actually gets traded are relatively low. But while appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said there is at least a little fire behind the smoke where Pitts is concerned.

"So, I checked in with a source who said that, look, if Atlanta gets the right kind of deal for Kyle Pitts, it very well could come together. I don't think it's a situation where they're aggressively shopping him, but it appears talking to some other teams, they think Atlanta is at least open to the possibility, and Pitts might be as well. I'm told, he loves Atlanta. This is not a situation where he's requesting a trade, but if he has a chance to go to maybe a better offense where he's more featured, he's sort of the third or fourth wheel right now in Atlanta, could be something that he's open to."

After surpassing 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie, Pitts has seen his role in the Falcons offense shrink the past couple of years—his 47 catches for 602 yards last season were both career lows for a full campaign, and Pitts was a moribund 15th in PPR points among tight ends.

However, as Cody Benjamin wrote for CBS Sports, a move to Jacksonville could give Pitts a chance to revive his career—and serve as something of a homecoming.

“This one might be high on Pitts' wish list, given he spent three years playing for the Gators, just over an hour away from where the Jaguars take the field. Yes, Jacksonville spent big to add Travis Hunter as a new weapon for Trevor Lawrence in the draft, but new general manager James Gladstone might still have an interest in replacing Evan Engram, who was released in March. Pitts' positional versatility could give the Jaguars a new-look 'big three' along with Brian Thomas Jr., increasing Lawrence's odds of a turnaround.”

Say what you will about Trevor Lawrence, but he would be an upgrade at quarterback over the unproven Michael Penix Jr. And if Hunter struggles a bit acclimating to the NFL, Pitts could rapidly become the No. 2 option for a Jaguars team that should be throwing the ball quite a bit in 2025.

RB Tyler Allgeier to Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

While we’re hypothetically dealing away Falcons, we might as well free running back Tyler Allgeier—because as long as he’s in Atlanta, the fourth-year pro is little more than one of fantasy’s best “handcuff” backs.

In 2025, Bijan Robinson emerged as a true workhorse for the Falcons—his 365 total touches trailed only Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles. That meant less work than ever for Allgeier—after he quietly surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground as a rookie, Allgeier’s touches have declined every season since. Allgeier was 37th in the league in carries last year and 43rd among running backs in PPR points.

B/R’s own Brent Sobleski suggested recently that the Falcons should shop Allgeier.

“Allgeier has no incentive to sign an extension with the Falcons since he could go elsewhere and potentially become a starting option. His workhorse ability is being wasted behind Robinson. The Falcons should be fishing for a Day 2 draft pick from a team that needs a lead back. They would have earned a profit on Allgeier, and they'd build up next year's draft capital after trading away their 2026 first-round pick to move up for edge-rusher James Pearce Jr.”

Yes, the Denver Broncos just spent a Day 2 pick on rookie R.J. Harvey, who has been a darling of the fantasy community from the moment the pick was handed in. But Harvey is both an unproven commodity and an undersized ball-carrier, and Denver’s depth chart behind the rookie is, um, yeah.

Allgeier would give the Broncos a proven commodity in the backfield. And with all due respect to Harvey, if he landed in the Mile High City he’d open the season as the team’s lead back.

WR Tyreek Hill to San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

There has been trade speculation swirling around Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill all offseason long. The 31-year-old has tried to shoot down the idea he wants out of South Florida, but as Mike Florio wrote for Pro Football Talk, if a trade was going to happen, it was always going to be post-June 1.

And the hangup has always been money as much as compensation for the Dolphins.

“It makes sense for the Dolphins to consider the opportunity to get a clean slate, if someone calls. The only question is whether there’s another team that would be interested in taking on Hill’s $25.85 million compensation package for 2025 — and in giving the Dolphins whatever it would take to get them to clear out a key player who may not truly believe he’s playing for a contender. And who may not truly believe quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is good enough to make the Dolphins into one.”

As it happens, there isn’t another team in the NFC with more cap space than the $50 million and change the 49ers possess. There also isn’t a team in the conference with a more pressing need for a high-end wide receiver. Brandon Aiyuk’s status for the beginning of the 2025 season remains very much in question. Ricky Pearsall is out until at least training camp with a hamstring injury. That leaves Jauan Jennings and…not much.

Brock Purdy may not be the first quarterback that pops to mind when you think “deep passer,” but only Lamar Jackson had more passes that traveled 40-plus yards in 2024 than Purdy per Fantasy Pros.

And last year’s disappointing numbers aside, Hill is still one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL.

RB Travis Etienne Jr. to Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Like most of the players listed here, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne has been the subject of trade speculation for some time. There’s a new regime in Jacksonville; said new regime drafted a pair of running backs in April in Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen; and Etienne is both entering a contract year and coming off the worst season of his career.

That has led more than a few pundits to project that Etienne could be on his way out, and Sterling Xie of PFSN posited that the Chicago Bears could make sense as a trade partner.

“After two years as the clear lead back, Travis Etienne Jr. split snaps and touches with Tank Bigsby in 2024. Etienne had his least efficient season to date, averaging career-lows in yards per carry (3.7) and yards per touch (4.3). With Etienne playing on the last year of his rookie deal and trending down, the former first-round pick is a prime trade candidate — either now or during the season. Former Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor is now an assistant in Chicago, and Bears running backs ranked last in yards per carry (3.5) in 2024.”

Despite those struggles running the ball a year ago, new Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t do a lot to upgrade the backfield in the offseason. Even if you don’t believe that Etienne could beat out D’Andre Swift to be the Bears’ No. 1 running back, Johnson’s offenses in Detroit made extensive usage of two backs.

Etienne and Swift may not be the “Thunder and Lightning” combination that David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are in Motown, but on an improved (on paper, at least) Bears offense, both could easily be fantasy-relevant.

WR Chris Olave to New York Jets

AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

This is probably the least likely deal of this lot to actually happen. Unless the New Orleans Saints are finally going to blow things up and start a ground-up rebuild, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the team to trade their top passing-game weapon.

However, the cold reality is that the Saints probably should blow things up and rebuild from the ground up. And at some point soon, the team is going to have to decide whether or not to hand a lucrative extension to a wide receiver who has an alarming history of suffering concussions in the NFL.

When healthy, Olave has shown he can be a dangerous pass-catcher—despite less-than-ideal quarterback play in the Big Easy, Olave has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in two of three professional seasons.

Were Olave to actually become available, David Latham of Last Word on Sports listed the New York Jets as a team that would be well-served to kick the tires on acquiring the former Ohio State star.

“The New York Jets have a great young receiver in Garrett Wilson and not much else. Justin Fields challenges defenses as a dual-threat quarterback, but he still needs another reliable set of hands to reach his ceiling. The Buffalo Bills reign supreme atop the AFC East, but second place is wide open. New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has a history with the New Orleans Saints and should have the connections to pull off a Chris Olave trade.”

As it happens, Wilson and Fields also played collegiately in Columbus. In fact, they all played together. In 2019, Olave averaged over 17 yards a catch and scored 12 touchdowns catching passes from Fields.

Even if Olave plays second-fiddle to Wilson in New York, it’s still a better fantasy situation than the mess that awaits him in New Orleans.

Getting traded anywhere would boost his fantasy stock.

TE Jonnu Smith to Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Last season, Jonnu Smith set Miami Dolphins franchise records for receptions (88), receiving yards (884) and touchdowns (8) by a tight end on the way to surprisingly finishing fourth in PPR points among tight ends.

Now, entering the second year of a modest contract, Smith wants a raise—and while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said it’s a big one.

"He is actually a part of what the Dolphins want to do," Rapoport said. "It feels to me like he wants more money, but would like to stay [in Miami]. I know he wants a lot. We'll see what they end up doing."

If the Dolphins (as expected) trade cornerback Jalen Ramsey, that could free up the scratch for a Smith extension. And Miami has already reportedly discussed a Smith trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there’s another team that would be an even better fit for Smith, at least from a fantasy perspective.

The Los Angeles Chargers enter the 2025 season with relatively lofty expectations after making the postseason a year ago. But unless you believe that Mike Williams brought a time machine with him back to La-La Land, the Bolts also lack reliable passing-game weapons behind young wideout Ladd McConkey. Will Dissly is an OK tight end, but not much more.

The odds that Smith will be able to match last year’s career numbers aren’t especially good. But if the Dolphins do deal him, the chances would be a lot better in Los Angeles than in Pittsburgh.

RB Najee Harris to Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

It’s been a bumpy offseason for Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris.

First, the Pittsburgh Steelers made no real effort to re-up the former first-round pick, despite four straight 1,000-yard seasons. Then, Harris had to settle for a modest one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Bolts then drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round, leading to speculation that Harris could be dealt before he ever touches the ball for the Chargers.

Back at the beginning of May, B/R’s Kris Knox wrote that the Dallas Cowboys could be a suitor for Harris’ services.

“Harris would have value on the trade market. While he was never a high-end starter in Pittsburgh, he was a durable high-volume back who topped 1,000 rushing yards in all four of his NFL seasons. The Dallas Cowboys could be interested in Harris. They added former starters Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams in free agency before drafting Jaydon Blue in Round 5, but none of them are surefire starters. Adding Harris to that mix would be sensible.”

Harris may admittedly be something of a plodder. But he has been consistent and (as Knox said) durable—two things that neither Sanders or Williams have been. Were Harris to land in Dallas, the odds are good that he would emerge as the Cowboys’ No. 1 running back.

And while that might not make him a high-upside or especially exciting fantasy option, it would at the very least make Harris the same high-floor fantasy RB2 he was with the Steelers.

WR Romeo Doubs to Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Some may be wondering why it took this long for a wide receiver being traded to Pittsburgh to make an appearance here. After all, the Steelers have a gaping void at the position opposite DK Metcalf.

But Pittsburgh isn’t a favorable spot for a wideout from a fantasy perspective—Metcalf included.

It’s not even really about the team’s uncertain quarterback situation. Once Aaron Rodgers gets back from Burning Man or hiking to Machu Picchu or whatever, he’s going to sign in Pittsburgh.

No, it’s a matter of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith being a vampire who sucks the fantasy value from pass-catchers. In six years as an offensive coordinator or head coach, Smith has never run an offense that ranked higher than 20th in the NFL in pass attempts.

But the Steelers do need a wide receiver, and per Freddie Boston of Lombardi Avenue, Pittsburgh is the ideal partner for the Packers to flip Romeo Doubs to.

“Doubs only has a year remaining on his contract. Last season, the Packers suspended Doubs for one game after reportedly being "upset with his opportunities in the passing game." Green Bay adding Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, and Mecole Hardman this offseason isn't exactly going to increase Doubs' target total. Talk about a win-win. The Packers and Steelers would benefit, and hey, so would (Aaron) Rodgers.”

Per SI’s Albert Breer, Rodgers was “fond” of Doubs during their time together in Green Bay, and while Doubs’ numbers as a rookie weren’t especially impressive it’s no secret that Rodgers likes receivers he has familiarity with.

Doubs wouldn’t be a fantasy superstar in Pittsburgh. But his value would be higher than it is if he remains in Green Bay.