NFL Players Who Could Be Traded Following Free Agency

Have you not been entertained enough by the 2019 NFL trade market? 

Already traded this offseason: two superstar wide receivers (Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown), two quarterbacks with a combined 251 starts under their belts (Joe Flacco and Ryan Tannehill), two Pro Bowl pass-rushers (Dee Ford and Olivier Vernon), a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end with Super Bowl pedigree (Michael Bennett), a two-time Pro Bowl guard (Kelechi Osemele) and a high-potential first-round pick at safety (Jabrill Peppers).

But now that the dust has settled on peak free agency, we're likely to see more trades go down as teams try to account for redundancies that stem from offseason movement. 

They might not be as high-profile as some of the moves made during the first week of the new league year, but here are 10 potential impact players who—as a result of becoming redundant and/or too pricey—could be on the trade block entering the next phase of the 2019 offseason.

Buffalo Bills RB LeSean McCoy

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If you told us prior to free agency the Buffalo Bills would sign Frank Gore and keep Chris Ivory at running back, we'd have assumed they would part ways with LeSean McCoy at around the same time.

McCoy remains a Bill, but Buffalo must be cruising the trade market in search of a partner. 

He, Gore, Ivory and Adrian Peterson of the Washington Redskins are the only halfbacks currently on NFL rosters who will be 31 or older when the 2019 season gets underway. Why would the Bills want the first three on the same team?

They can save $6.4 million by trading McCoy, who would only cost his next team that amount for one year.

Chicago Bears RB Jordan Howard

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Tarik Cohen's emergence in the Chicago Bears backfield was already making Jordan Howard expendable. And then Chicago went out in free agency and handed a two-year, $6 million contract to running back Mike Davis, who at times looked tremendous with the 2018 Seattle Seahawks. 

A Howard trade now feels inevitable, but only if the Bears can get something for the 24-year-old who rushed for 1,000 yards twice prior to the final year of his rookie deal. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this month that "multiple teams approached" them at the NFL Scouting Combine regarding a potential trade for Howard, who struggled in 2018 but was a Pro Bowler as a rookie and scored 25 touchdowns during his first three seasons in the league. 

He's also due just over $2 million in 2018 and can be cut or traded at almost no cost to the Bears.

Cleveland Browns RB Duke Johnson Jr.

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It's a surprise that running back Duke Johnson Jr. remains on the Cleveland Browns roster. 

Not only did standout rookie Nick Chubb limit his impact in 2018, but the Browns signed 2017 rushing champion Kareem Hunt prior to free agency. While Hunt will be suspended for the first half of the 2019 season, the reality is unavoidable: Johnson isn't worth his $5.2 million average annual salary. 

The problem could be that other teams agree, though a trade could allow the 25-year-old pass-catching back to justify that price tag for another franchise. 

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported last week that the Browns have shopped Johnson. According to 640 the Hurricane's Andy Slater, he received interest from the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason.

Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr.

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Bryce Callahan and Chris Harris Jr. are two of the NFL's best cornerbacks covering wide receivers in the slot. Now, they play on the same team. 

That's the case after the Denver Broncos splurged in free agency on both Callahan (three years, $21 million) and Kareem Jackson (three years, $33 million), both of whom will join Harris and his $8.8 million walk-year cap hit in 2019. Well, unless the Broncos decide to part ways with the 29-year-old incumbent at a cost of less than $1 million, which would save them nearly $8 million in 2019 cap space. 

Still, the Broncos appear to be aiming at contention right now. Harris is also strong outside, and The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala reported earlier this month that the team has "had a preliminary talk" with Harris' agent about a new contract in Denver.

A trade is far-fetched. But it would make a lot of sense, as well. 

Green Bay Packers TE Jimmy Graham

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When the Green Bay Packers brought in veteran tight end Jimmy Graham last offseason, they were undoubtedly hoping the athletic Pro Bowler could become a red-zone safety valve for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

After all, Graham was coming off a 10-touchdown season with the Seattle Seahawks.

But in the first season of a three-year, $30 million contract in Green Bay, the 32-year-old Graham scored only a pair of touchdowns. Now the Packers have re-signed veteran Marcedes Lewis at tight end.

The team has expressed excitement about Graham's prospects in a transformed offense next season, but that might have to do with the fact his contract is an albatross, featuring a dead-cap figure of $12.3 million for 2019. The Packers would almost certainly prefer to draft a tight end, then trade Graham after June 1 to save $4 million. 

Don't rule out that scenario.

Minnesota Vikings CBs Trae Waynes or Xavier Rhodes

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The Minnesota Vikings roster contains four cornerbacks who were first- or second-round picks and are 28 or younger. So you'd think a team low on salary-cap space might consider trading one of those defensive backs, especially considering one has a pricey contract and two others are entering contract years.

The 28-year-old elder statesman of the group, Xavier Rhodes, is an expensive two-time Pro Bowler who was routinely outplayed in 2018 by the younger Trae Waynes (26) and the even younger Mackensie Alexander (25), both of whom will likely become a lot more expensive in 2020. 

But Alexander remains cheap right now, along with 2018 first-rounder Mike Hughes. So the two most realistic trade candidates in Minnesota are Rhodes and Waynes, whose $9.1 million fifth-year option officially hit the books March 13.

In fact, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported last month that the Vikings were indeed shopping Waynes, while NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that teams have called Minnesota about the 2015 first-round pick. 

Pittsburgh Steelers CB Artie Burns

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With Steven Nelson on board after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now paying him and quite a few other cornerbacks. Joe Haden (average annual salary of $9 million), 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns (due a $3.1 million cap hit in 2019) and the cheaper Mike Hilton and Cameron Sutton are all on the books. 

Burns has not lived up to first-round expectations in Pittsburgh, but he might have enduring trade value because he's reasonably priced. He's still only 23 years old, and he's controllable for a couple more seasons with his yet-to-be-exercised fifth-year option looming in 2020. 

There's just no room for Burns in Pittsburgh, though many other teams would probably be willing to take a flier on a talented young cover man who intercepted three passes as a rookie in 2016.

San Francisco 49ers DE Solomon Thomas

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The San Francisco 49ers are now paying Pro Bowler Dee Ford $17.1 million per year to work as their No. 1 pass-rusher, while standout defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will soon be owed a large raise, as well. 

Could that force Solomon Thomas, who the Niners acquired at No. 3 overall in 2017, to function as trade bait?

Consider that San Francisco could be in the mix for one of this draft's high-potential defensive linemen with the No. 2 overall pick, and it has to be a consideration. Thomas has yet to justify huge expectations at the NFL level, but a 23-year-old with this type of draft pedigree would make one hell of a trade chip for a team that's loaded up front and has other holes to fill.

With a fifth-year option on the table, Thomas is controllable for at least the next three seasons. He's also due less than $17 million over the course of the next two years. That could make him enticing on the trade market, and a deal could allow San Francisco to add more support for supposed franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. 

Actual movement remains a stretch, but let's not pretend a Thomas trade would be the NFL's most surprising development this offseason. 

San Francisco 49ers RB Jerick McKinnon

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Just a year ago, the San Francisco 49ers invested heavily in emerging running back Jerick McKinnon on the free-agent market.

But then McKinnon tore his ACL prior to his maiden season in the Bay Area. And then undrafted sophomore Matt Breida stepped in and averaged 5.3 yards per carry as a regular starter. And then the 49ers signed former Atlanta Falcons back Tevin Coleman to a two-year, $8.5 million contract this offseason. 

Where does that leave McKinnon and his $7.5 million average annual salary? The 49ers don't need all three backs (plus recently re-signed Raheem Mostert, who was solid in limited action before a fractured forearm ended his season), and McKinnon is the least accomplished and most expensive of the leading candidates.

That and the knee injury might not make him an overly attractive trade target—especially considering the market at his position—but you'd think the 49ers would be exploring trade options anyway. 

For what it's worth, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said the Coleman acquisition doesn't affect McKinnon's standing with the team. But we also heard the New York Giants didn't sign Odell Beckham Jr. to trade him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy

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Why is Gerald McCoy still on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster? 

Following a Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the 31-year-old defensive tackle used the past tense while speaking to the media about his time with the organization. In January, ESPN's Jenna Laine wrote there's a "real chance" McCoy's time was up in Tampa. 

But when the new league year kicked off last week, the six-time Pro Bowler remained on the payroll at a cost of $13 million in 2019. 

That's a lot of cash for a player who is clearly beyond his prime, especially since the Buccaneers don't appear on the verge of a Super Bowl run.

There's no dead cap money left on McCoy's deal, so Tampa Bay has no reason to wait here. They're either standing pat, or they've yet to receive a satisfactory offer. The latter would make sense because of McCoy's price tag, but that could easily change if another team becomes desperate this offseason. 

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.