NFL Trade Deadline 2015: Latest Rumors on Players Potentially on the Move

Although the NFL doesn't often feature as many in-season trades as other major sports, a number of noteworthy players could be moved in 2015.

The league has pushed back the trade deadline to Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. ET, giving organizations more time to evaluate potential moves that can impact the team. More importantly, this date is late enough where many teams are realistically out of the running for the playoffs, giving them extra motivation to sell off a player who could help a contender.

While the NFL isn't going to turn into your fantasy league anytime soon with starting quarterbacks switching teams randomly, there could be more movement than we are used to seeing. With this in mind, here is a look at a few players who could be trade targets for top teams.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The 49ers got their second win of the year Sunday with quarterback Colin Kaepernick having one of his best games of the season, totaling 340 yards through the air. None of those yards went to Vernon Davis.

Davis hasn't had a catch since Week 2 and is now losing playing time, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area:

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noted this could be the first step in an obvious trade for San Francisco:

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San Francisco is rebuilding, Davis is in the final year of his deal and he has not clicked with quarterback Colin Kaepernick and will not be returning to San Francisco next year in all likelihood. He has been injured, but is nearing a return and would very much welcome a change of scenery, sources said.

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The past year and a half haven't been great for the 49ers, and Davis has been part of the mess. Still, it's important to remember the talent is there when he is healthy and in a good situation. The former first-round pick has reached 13 receiving touchdowns in two different seasons, including as recently as 2013, when he also had 850 receiving yards.

If he could enter the right situation in a pass-heavy offense, say the Green Bay Packers or Atlanta Falcons, Davis has the skill set to once again be one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

As far as the 49ers are concerned, this could just be the latest former Pro Bowler to leave town after big names like Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Frank Gore and others either retired or went to different teams. The difference is Davis is no longer a contributing member of the offense.

This would be a chance for the organization to get some compensation for a player who still has some value.

Jared Cook, TE, St. Louis Rams

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The passing attack in St. Louis hasn't been great this season with Nick Foles struggling and no real consistent receiving threats on the roster. Jared Cook currently has 15 catches for 169 receiving yards, both of which rank second on the team.

Despite this need, Cook is on the trade block for a simple reason: Money. According to Spotrac, the tight end will make $7 million per season for each of the next three years.

Nick Mensio of Rotoworld posed an important question after Cook finished with just one catch for eight yards in Week 5:

On the plus side, this is only a concern for the Rams, as La Canfora noted, "He has two years, worth $7 million a season, left on his deal beyond 2015, but all of his guaranteed money is paid, so a team could part with him in the offseason without cap or cash ramifications."

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported the Rams aren't just fielding offers, but are aggressively trying to make a move:

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Per a league source, the Rams are making calls to gauge interest in a trade for Cook, a big-money acquisition in free agency who has been good but not great in three-plus seasons with the team.

Jason La Canfora of CBS reports that teams have been calling the Rams about Cook; we’re hearing that the calls are being made by the Rams. It’s a subtle but significant distinction, since what the Rams get will be driven by the respective motivations of the buyer and the seller.

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Cook has never really lived up to his hype as a strong, athletic tight end. Then again, he has never really been in an offense that is catered to his skill set.

It makes sense for the Rams to give up on a bad investment, but for a low price, an opposing team could end up with great value.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The Bears and their fans love Matt Forte. Unfortunately, keeping him on the roster might not be the best strategy going forward for a 2-4 team.

While injuries have played a big role in the team's early-season failures, that won't necessarily help a turnaround. The team has already been busy putting players on the trade market, and the Bears could continue the trend with bigger stars.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noted the earlier trades didn't signal a fire sale, but bigger deals could be coming:

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It was, however, proof that general manager Ryan Pace will consider all options when it comes to improving his team for the longterm. And yes, that does include making veteran running back Matt Forte available for the right offer.

The mantra from Chicago has been that it would listen to almost anything, and that would include 29-year-old making $7.1 million.

As one rival general manager described it, "They basically say, 'Don't be afraid to ask.'"

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Forte clearly doesn't want to be traded, telling CBS Radio (via Fox Sports):

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I think it’s funny. The media, I don’t know. I guess they start to speculate and then they report it as news and it takes off. That’s how news gets more and more views, likes and listens, I guess. So they were speculating when the draft was coming up this past offseason that I was going to be traded then and nothing happened. So I can only control how I play on the football field. I don’t really worry about it. I just think it’d be crazy to trade me anyways.

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If you want to win, it might be "crazy" to trade a player with 8,211 rushing yards in his career, including a league-leading 507 yards this season. The problem is the Bears have to think about the future, and having the top rusher on a losing team doesn't help too much.

On the other hand, the value is high enough to make a move now and get maximum return for a 29-year-old running back. Although it might not be a popular move in the city, this is what it takes to run a successful franchise.

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