NFL Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz Heading into 2019 Free Agency

While NFL free agency kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, free agents aren't the only players who will be changing teams. Trades involving players under contract for 2019 won't become official until then either.

This means that trades that have previously been agreed to can still be nixed. Yes, even the one that should send Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders.

Most likely, though, the Brown trade will go through, as will the Olivier Vernon-Kevin Zeitler swap reported by Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and the trade sending Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos. Most likely, these deals will only mark the beginning of an active NFL trading period.

Teams Interested in Trading for Ford

The Kansas City Chiefs gave pass-rusher Dee Ford the franchise tag. They also released pass-rusher Justin Houston over the weekend after they failed to move him in a trade.

On the surface, this seems to indicate that the Chiefs are all-in on Ford as part of the long-term building process. However, this isn't necessarily the case. As Peter King of ProFootballTalk.com pointed out, Kansas City is at least listening to offers for Ford.

"My guess—just a guess—is the Chiefs would be open to taking a low second-round pick or high three for him," King wrote. "If they got, say, the 60th pick in a defensive-line rich draft, they'd be investing about four years and $4.8 million in cap dollars there instead of the four years and maybe $70 million in Ford."

The Chiefs own the 29th overall pick in the draft, and while there's no guarantee they'll find a replacement for Ford there, it is a realistic hope. If so, Kansas City would save a ton of money, keep and edge-rushing presence and get something worthwhile in compensation in return for Ford.

A team trading for Ford may have to offer him a contract extension in order to get a deal done, but it would also acquire a player who produced 13 sacks in 2018—and such players aren't readily available.

According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers have already shown interest in making a move for Ford.

Teams Interested in Clark Too, but Buffalo Isn't On

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Like Ford, pass-rusher Frank Clark was given the franchise tag. The Seattle Seahawks ensured that he couldn't hit the open market, but this doesn't mean other teams won't try to acquire him.

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, the Buffalo Bills and "others" have interest in acquiring Clark:

However, Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News has disputed the idea that the Bills are interested in acquiring Clark—either via an offer sheet or via trade.

"The Bills are not interested in acquiring him, period, per my source," Carucci wrote on Twitter.

Of course, this still leaves the "others" Glazer mentioned as possible trade partners if the Seahawks are inclined to move Clark. It would make sense for the Seahawks to hang onto a guy who had 13.0 sacks in 2018, but the possibility of a holdout could nudge Seattle toward making a deal.

Rapoport reported that Clark doesn't intend to show up to training camp without a long-term deal, so a holdout is possible:

There's also the possibility that Clark will net the Seahawks a high level of compensation—much higher than the low second-round pick King believes Ford might command. Clark has had an easier time staying healthy and he's been more consistently productive than Ford.

In fact, Clark produced just 5.5 fewer sacks over his first four NFL seasons than Khalil Mack did in his first four. Trading Mack netted the Raiders two first-round picks, so it's reasonable to believe that Clark would be worth at least one from a team willing to do a long-term deal.

Buccaneers Looking to Trade Jackson

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

With Brown headed to Oakland, receiver-needy teams have to turn to other receiver options. Players like Adam Humphries, Golden Tate and Michael Crabtree will be available in free agency, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout DeSean Jackson is reportedly available via trade.

According to Jenna Laine and Tim McManus of ESPN.com, the Buccaneers are "actively shopping" Jackson.

This comes roughly two months after Rapoport reported that new Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was hoping to "re-recruit" Jackson to Tampa.

One possibility is that the Buccaneers hope to move Jackson's contract and possibly make a move to retain Humphries instead. Humphries is just 25 years old, is coming off a 76-catch season and could be a long-term piece of the rebuilding process.

At 32 years old, Jackson probably isn't.

The problem, though, is that Tampa is projected to just barely be under the salary cap, per Spotrac. Moving Jackson would free up $10 million in cap space, and while that may not be enough room to make a run at Humphries, it's cap space that is desperately needed.