NFL Players We Wish We Could Have Seen on Different Teams in 2025

We've all received one of those gifts during the holidays that, while appreciated, we wish we could exchange for something better. As NFL fans, we sometimes feel the same way about what we see on the field each week.

We can appreciate a great player performing at a high level, often in a bad situation, while simultaneously wishing we were getting just a little bit more.

With that in mind, here's a look at some noteworthy NFL stars who were available (or tried to be) over the last calendar year and who we wish we could have seen on different teams in 2025.

Deebo Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Team We'd Have Loved to See: San Francisco 49ers

The Washington Commanders pushed in their chips for the 2025 season after reaching the NFC Championship Game in February. One of their more notable moves was a trade to acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed things for second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, who were eliminated in Week 14.

While Samuel has been productive as a receiver and runner in Kliff Kingsbury's offense, it would have been fun to see him remain in San Francisco with a team that still has a shot at the NFC's No. 1 seed.

Now, the 29-year-old would have had to agree to some sort of contract restructuring to stay with the 49ers. Part of the reason he was dealt was to clear the final year of his three-year, $71.6 million contract from the books. Of course, Samuel did agree to revise his deal upon arriving in Washington.

The 49ers haven't seen wideout Brandon Aiyuk this season, and second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall has been in and out of the lineup with injuries. While San Francisco's ninth-ranked scoring offense has remained more than functional, it could use another difference-making weapon.

We would love to see Samuel join Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Jauan Jennings for another playoff run. Alas, we won't see it this year.

Trey Hendrickson, Edge, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Dallas Cowboys

The Cincinnati Bengals gave lucrative long-term deals to standout receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins during the offseason. In doing so, however, they ignored standout pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who eventually requested a trade.

Now, Hendrickson hasn't had the most impressive contract year, largely due to injury. He logged four sacks and 12 quarterback pressures in seven games, but he also suffered a core muscle injury in Week 6, which he aggravated in Week 8.

The 31-year-old hasn't seen the field for Cincinnati since.

Would Hendrickson have avoided the injury while playing for a different team? That's impossible to know, but a change of scenery might have allowed him to play for a relevant team instead of the defensively deficient Bengals.

We'd have loved to see him replace Micah Parsons as the Cowboys' top pass-rusher. Dallas was officially eliminated in Week 16, but it's not hard to imagine the Cowboys picking up one or two more wins this season with an improved pass rush.

Let's not forget about the four-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 or the tie with the Green Bay Packers in Week 4.

The Cowboys could have kept Parsons, too, but it's hard to argue he wasn't a joy to watch in Green Bay before his season-ending ACL injury. We might have seen Dallas backfill its edge rotation with Hendrickson, had Cincinnati been willing to move him like he wanted.

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Buffalo Bills

The Bengals gave Higgins a long-term extension after first using the franchise tag to keep him off the open market for the second straight year. We wish he'd had the chance to test free agency.

To be fair, Higgins, Chase, and Joe Burrow are a lot of fun together in the Cincinnati offense. However, they haven't been enough to make the Bengals contenders in recent years because of a poor defense. This year, though, bad defense wasn't the only issue.

Cincinnati played nine games without the 2020 No. 1 overall pick because of a toe injury. While the addition of Joe Flacco helped keep the offense afloat, head coach Zac Taylor has struggled to win without Burrow, going 1–8 over that stretch.

Maybe things will improve next season, but we wish Higgins still had something meaningful to play for. Had he found his way to the Buffalo Bills, he would.

Signing Higgins would have been difficult, as the Bills are tight against the salary cap. Had Brandon Beane found a way to make it work financially, though, it would have been a glorious pairing. Josh Allen has needed a go-to receiver all year, and Higgins could have been the guy.

Chase Young, Edge, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Ella Hall

Team We'd Have Loved to See: San Francisco 49ers

Last offseason, the New Orleans Saints signed pass-rusher Chase Young to a one-year "prove-it" deal. He proved enough during his 2024 campaign to receive a long-term deal just before the start of 2025 free agency.

Hindsight plays a role in it, of course, but we wish Young had found his way back to San Francisco, where he played in 2023, rather than returning to New Orleans.

The Saints have been a fun team to watch recently, due to the rapid rise of rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. Young has also been impressive, tallying seven sacks and 24 quarterback pressures in 10 games. Yet, New Orleans isn't playoff-relevant this year. The 49ers are.

The Niners also lost star pass-rusher Nick Bosa in Week 3 and rookie first-round pick and edge defender Mykel Williams in November. Both suffered season-ending ACL tears.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has done a fine job of adapting to the loss of his pass-rushers—and standout linebacker Fred Warner—but San Francisco's defense has recorded a mere 18 sacks this season. A player like Young would make a huge difference for a team with realistic Super Bowl aspirations.

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Jacksonville Jaguars

To be clear, Chris Godwin returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers always felt right.

The 29-year-old has battled back from 2024's season-ending leg injury and been a fairly impactful contributor in his seven games this season. However, we kind of wish he had found a new opportunity in free agency instead.

Godwin signed a three-year, $66 million deal just before the start of free agency. Had he hit the open market, he'd have been a natural fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville hired away former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen at the start of the offseason, and he has the Jags on the verge of an NFC South title. The Jaguars have also taken some big swings at the receiver position with mixed results.

The aggressive trade to land Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick in the draft yielded only 298 receiving yards and one touchdown before he was shut down for the season. The Jaguars then traded for Jakobi Meyers at the deadline before signing him to a three-year, $60 million extension.

Had the Jags landed Godwin in free agency, they may have still made the play for Hunter, but probably wouldn't have felt the need to deal for Meyers. Godwin, meanwhile, might be shining with a top playoff contender instead of being a bit player in an underwhelming Buccaneers offense.

Myles Garrett, Edge, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Erin Hooley

Team We'd Have Loved to See: New England Patriots

The Cleveland Browns never seriously considered trading star pass-rusher Myles Garrett during the offseason, but the seven-time Pro Bowler did ask for a trade back in February. The team eventually smoothed things over with a four-year, $160 million contract extension.

We wish Garrett had forced his way out of Cleveland, as Parsons did in Dallas, for a couple of reasons.

For one, the 29-year-old is one sack away from breaking the all-time single-season record. It's a shame that he's having such a terrific season with such a poor team. It'd be a lot more fun to see him chase history with a playoff-relevant team instead of with the lowly Browns.

Seeing Garrett enjoy some team success while racking up sacks is part of the equation here. Let's also consider the fact that he may have broken the record weeks ago with a more competitive team.

The Browns' offense has been awful this season, which has allowed opponents to play conservatively, limiting Garrett's pass-rush opportunities. His 22 sacks have come with opponents attempting just 409 pass attempts—second-fewest in the NFL.

Imagine how his numbers might look if opponents actually had to pass often.

We could have picked just about competitive team here, but the New England Patriots would have made perfect sense. They took an aggressive approach to the offseason, adding the likes of Milton Williams, K'Lavon Chaisson and Stefon Diggs in free agency. Going after Garrett would have followed the offseason plan.

The Patriots also have the cap flexibility to pay Garrett, as they still lead the league in available cap space.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Chicago Bears

The Las Vegas Raiders scooped up running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in April's draft. The theory was that he would thrive under head coach Pete Carroll and provide a high-end complement to veteran quarterback Geno Smith.

Things haven't worked out that way, though.

The Raiders have been flat-out bad this season. While Jeanty has had his fair share of bright moments—he just ripped off 188 scrimmage yards against a good Houston Texans defense—he has left plenty of meat on the bone.

The run game has underperformed under offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Brennan Carroll, with Jeanty averaging just 1.4 yards before contact this season.

We have to imagine that the 22-year-old would be putting up more impressive numbers had he fallen to the Chicago Bears at No. 10.

The Bears' offense has surged under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, and snagging tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 has worked out just fine for Chicago. It found a gem in rookie seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai and paired him with starter D'Andre Swift to field the league's second-ranked rushing attack.

It's fun to think about Jeanty leading Chicago's backfield, though, at least from the player's perspective. Bears ball-carriers have averaged 3.2 yards before contact, more than twice what he has had as a rookie.

Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Eric Gay

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Green Bay Packers

To be fair, Jayden Higgins has had some highlight moments for the Houston Texans this season. He has recorded 414 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games, which aren't the most impressive numbers.

However, it must be noted that Houston dealt with some significant offensive struggles early in the season, along with the three-game absence of starting quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Things have picked up a bit recently, but Houston still entered Week 17 ranked 22nd in net yards per pass attempt. Higgins, meanwhile, has caught just 37 of 59 targets despite only being credited with two drops.

It'd be interesting to see the Iowa State product in a more efficient passing attack, say, that of the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers rank fifth in net yards per pass attempt and seventh in passing touchdowns. They also happened to be the last team to draft a wide receiver in April before the Texans took Higgins 34th overall.

Green Bay used the 23rd pick on Texas' Matthew Golden. While he has occasionally flashed for the Packers, he hasn't produced consistently and has missed time with shoulder and wrist injuries. He's logged 27 catches for 341 yards and no touchdowns.

Golden will probably work out fine for the Packers, and Higgins may eventually be a bona fide star in Houston. However, we kind of wish Higgins was catching passes for a Green Bay team that has dealt with its fair share of injuries in the receiving corps this season.

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/David Richard

Team We'd Have Loved to See: Minnesota Vikings

Every team passed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders before Cleveland finally stopped his slide in the fifth round of the draft in April.

Two picks before the Browns took Sanders, though, the Minnesota Vikings traded for Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Sam Howell.

The plan was for Howell to provide veteran insurance behind 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season following knee surgery. However, the Vikings quickly soured on Howell, traded him to the Eagles and signed Carson Wentz in late August.

Wentz went on to start five games for Minnesota, while McCarthy has been in and out of the lineup with various injuries.

Had the Vikings simply used the 142nd pick on Sanders instead of trading it for Howell, the former Colorado star might be starting for Minnesota right now.

Of course, Sanders wouldn't provide the sort of veteran presence Wentz did, but he could have pushed McCarthy while providing depth.

Considering the bright moments Sanders has managed to produce with a horrendous Browns supporting cast, he might have already overtaken McCarthy as Minnesota's long-term quarterback.

Yes, drafting Sanders and allowing him to compete with McCarthy would have invited utter chaos. It would have also given us a chance to see the Colorado product grow in Kevin O'Connell's offense while chucking the ball to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and one of the league's more impressive receiving corps.

As fans, that sounds like a win-win.

**Contract and cap information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.