Potential NFL Trade Packages for Players Who Need a Fresh Start

It has been a wild ride (as it always is), but the carousel of player movement across the NFL has slowed to a crawl.

There will still be a free-agent signing or two as we move into the summer, but the feeding frenzy of free agency and the chaos that is the NFL draft are in the rearview mirror.

However, that doesn't mean some players shouldn't still be on the move, including ones who still have a team.

Maybe it is a star wide receiver who is almost certain to be traded—it is just a matter of when. An edge-rusher or running back whose role has been reduced to spot duty. A one-time star whose relationship with his team has completely unraveled. Or a player who was already traded and then had the deal reversed earlier this offseason.

At any rate, there are plenty of big-name players who could use a fresh start, and some trades should happen between now and Week 1.

WR A.J. Brown to New England Patriots

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

New England Patriots Receive: WR A.J. Brown, 2027 Round 3 Pick

Philadelphia Eagles Receive: 2027 Round 1 Pick

We might as well start with a trade that is actually going to happen. Or at least a trade we think is actually going to happen.

Speculation has run rampant for weeks that it is only a matter of time before the Eagles deal star wide receiver A.J. Brown. And the New England Patriots have long been mentioned as one of the primary suitors for the 28-year-old's services.

While speaking to reporters, Patriots wideout Kyle Williams conceded New England's current wideouts aren't immune to all that speculation, but he would welcome adding Brown to the roster.

"I'm focused on where my feet are. If it happens it happens. If it doesn't, we still gotta keep going. He's somebody that I studied a little bit. I'm not as big as him, but I try to play big if I can. He's just a great player. Great habits, a consistent guy. He's a player you would want to look up to and watch."

The Patriots made it all the way to the Super Bowl last year, but one of the team's more glaring weaknesses entering the season is the lack of a true go-to wideout.

A healthy Brown would fill that void, and while a straight-up swap for a first-rounder may be a bit rich for New England's blood, getting a Day 2 pick back should be enough to get the deal done.

Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux to San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

San Francisco 49ers Receive: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux

New York Giants Receive: 2027 Round 2 Pick

With veteran Brian Burns, second-year pro Abdul Carter and now rookie Arvell Reese on the roster, there has been talk for some time that New York Giants edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux could be traded.

While fielding a question from Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Giants head coach John Harbaugh didn't dismiss that talk—provided the price is right:

"I think he's a great player. I'm excited about him. I was fired up to see him today. He looks great, he's in great shape. I'm thinking about him on the field, getting him plugged into our defense and getting him rolling. You want to talk about is he a trade possibility? Everybody's tradeable, everybody."

There were reports during the draft that the New Orleans Saints were interested in Thibodeaux, but trade talks fell apart when the Giants refused to move the fifth-year veteran for less than a second-round pick.

That may seem a steep price for a player who missed seven games and had a career-low 2.5 sacks last year, but Thibodeaux logged 11.5 sacks in 2023.

The San Francisco 49ers are a Super Bowl contender with a pair of edge-rushers returning from ACL tears in Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams. If either experiences a setback this summer, that second-round pick might become a lot more palatable for a team in win-now mode playing in arguably the toughest division in the NFL.

WR Brandon Aiyuk to Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Washington Commanders Receive: WR Brandon Aiyuk, 2027 Round 6 Pick

San Francisco 49ers Receive: 2027 Round 5 Pick

It's no secret that the San Francisco 49ers want to be rid of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

While speaking to reporters, general manager John Lynch was clear that the 28-year-old has played his last game in red and gold:

"We're available. Give us a call. And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He's an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't work itself out here. That's not to say that it can't be rekindled somewhere else. And we'd be happy to do something with anyone if the opportunity presented itself."

Aiyuk missed 10 games in 2024 with a torn ACL. Spent the 2025 season recuperating from that injury. And spent 2026 away from the Niners after his relationship with the team disintegrated. Aiyuk also carries a cap hit of $13.7 million in 2026 and $41.4 million in 2027.

That is not ideal.

Granted, Aiyuk was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2022 and 2023. But the 49ers have to know at this point that any return in a trade will be minimal.

Aiyuk is going to have to be realistic about his contract as well—if he gets released, he's going to get less on the open market than he would on a restructured deal.

If the parties involved can face those realities, a Washington Commanders team that needs wideout help opposite Terry McLaurin makes sense as a trade partner, especially since Aiyuk played with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels at Arizona State.

LB Jordyn Brooks to Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Cincinnati Bengals Receive: LB Jordyn Brooks

Miami Dolphins Receive: 2027 Round 2 Pick, 2028 Round 4 Pick

After the Miami Dolphins drafted Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez in the second round of the 2026 draft, there was some chatter that contract-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks could be a trade candidate.

While addressing the media, new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said he considers Brooks to be an important part of the team's plans moving forward.

"He's a very good player," he said. "He's made of the right kind of stuff.  And we'd like him to be a pillar on the defensive side of the ball for us as we build this out."

However, with the Dolphins in the opening stages of a ground-up rebuild, Brooks told reporters that he doesn't know if 2026 is the end of the road for him in Miami.

"I don't know," he said. "It could go either way, obviously. I'm just controlling what I can control—play football. I'm blessed to do it. So, I'm just going to keep approaching it that way."

The Cincinnati Bengals have been wildly aggressive this offseason, adding multiple pieces via free agency and trade. But the linebacker position remains a glaring weakness in the Queen City.

Last year, Brooks led the league with 183 total tackles and was named a first-team All-Pro. If the Dolphins don't plan to re-up him, the time to trade the 28-year-old is now.

And given Cincinnati's "all-in" approach to upgrading the defense this year, a package of picks headlined by a second-rounder is a deal worth making.

RB Alvin Kamara to Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Jacksonville Jaguars Receive: RB Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints Receive: 2027 Round 5 Pick

For the better part of a decade, Alvin Kamara was a mainstay in the New Orleans Saints offense. But with the addition of Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency, it seems his days with the team may be numbered.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore told reporters that New Orleans is nearing a decision on Kamara's future:

"Part of the offseason process during Phase 3 is you're still going through a little bit of the building process, you're still finalizing some things, and so that comes with time. We understand that during OTAs naturally there's different things popping up in Phase 3, but yeah, we're getting close."

At 30 years old and coming off an injury-marred season, Kamara isn't the player he once was. But there are NFL teams who could certainly use someone with his experience and resume.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of those teams.

After winning 13 games and capturing the AFC South in 2025, the Jags are living in the now. The team lost Etienne in free agency, and while Jacksonville signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. and has second-year pro Bhayshul Tuten on the roster, Rodriguez has never logged 120 carries in a season and Tuten averaged just 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie.

Would Kamara immediately slot as the lead back in Duval County? No. But the Jaguars have more than a little uncertainty in the backfield as things stand, and Kamara would be an inexpensive insurance policy if those young backs cannot get the job done.

Edge Maxx Crosby to Chicago Bears

AP Foto/Maria Lysaker

Chicago Bears Receive: Edge Maxx Crosby

Arizona Cardinals Receive: 2027 Round 1 Pick, 2028 Round 2 Pick

We'll close this out with a blockbuster that didn't happen even after a blockbuster fell through.

It's been that kind of offseason for Las Vegas Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby.

Crosby was originally supposed to be traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a pair of first-round picks. But the AFC North team backed out of the deal amid concerns about his surgically repaired knee.

The Chicago Bears were also reportedly suitors for Crosby's services but balked at the Raiders' asking price, with head coach Ben Johnson telling reporters that the franchise has to balance the present and the future.

"We're always looking to add dynamic players," he said. "Offense, defense, special teams. It really doesn't matter. But what you have to look at is the long-term vision. What's your philosophy this year versus five years down the road? We had all those conversations."

Despite a clear need at edge-rusher, the Bears did little in free agency or this year's draft to address the position. Crosby is saying all the right things, but there is no way his relationship with a team that shut him down against his wishes last year and then tried to trade him to Baltimore is perfectly harmonious.

Chicago has Super Bowl aspirations in 2026, and the Raiders will be fortunate just to be chasing a playoff berth by 2028. Vegas needs to add young assets. Think about that long-term vision Chicago's head coach mentioned.

And the return for Crosby may never be better than what it is right now if the Ravens are right about his knee.